Chapter 15 - The Dress and the Armor
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"Jane?" Charlotte’s voice croaked out through the main speakers, raw and unpolished, completely stripping away her rehearsed accent.
She took a clumsy step back from the podium, almost tripping over the long hem of her white gown.
"Jane!" she cried out again, trying desperately to regain control of the narrative as the cameras from the local news stations pivoted toward the balcony. "Oh my God! Jane! You're alive!"
She grabbed the edges of the podium, her knuckles turning white as she looked up at me.
"She’s alive!" Charlotte screamed to the crowd, forcing a manic, tearful smile onto her face. "My baby is alive! They found her! Police, please—get her down from there! She’s confused! She’s with a dangerous man!"
The crowd broke into chaotic murmurs. Two police officers stationed near the main entrance began moving toward the balcony staircase.
Marco didn't flinch. He lifted one hand, waving a slight finger toward Enzo, who was standing near the audio-visual booth at the back of the hall.
Enzo stepped into the booth, produced a small key, and plugged his tablet directly into the hotel's primary media server.
"Don't say a word, Jane," Marco whispered beside me, his voice calm and steady as a rock. "Let her talk."
Charlotte was practically breathless on stage now, her face flushed red under the stage lights.
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"Jane, come down here!" Charlotte shouted into the microphone, her tone turning sharp, commanding, and panicked. "Don't listen to him! You're sick! You haven't taken your medication in days! You don't know what you're doing!"
She looked around at the donors, her hands waving wildly. "Please, everyone, don't look at her! She’s having a psychotic episode! I need my daughter taken to a hospital immediately!"
