Chapter 8 - The Price of Ruin
The ballroom fell into dead silence, broken only by the sharp, confident click of Elena's heels against the marble floor. Every pair of eyes in the hall darted between the battered wife who had disappeared the night before and the regal woman now descending the stairs with the world's most powerful man at her side.
Elena stopped at the center of the hall, looking down at Diego with an expression of cold, detached pity.
"You look shocked, Diego," Elena said smoothly, her voice carrying through the silent room. "Did you not expect to see your wife this evening?"
Victoria stumbled down two steps, trembling with rage and disbelief. "What is this mockery?! You ungrateful street rat! Where did you steal that dress?! Guards! Remove this woman from my ballroom immediately!"
Not a single guard moved. In fact, the venue’s head of security stepped forward, took off his radio earpiece, and handed it directly to Arthur Sterling's aide.
"The building belongs to me, Victoria," Arthur said coldly, his voice echoing with absolute menace. "Just as your home, your shipping docks, and your personal vehicles do."
Diego's breath caught in his throat. He looked at Arthur, then at Elena, the terrifying truth finally penetrating his thick skull.
"No... it's not possible," Diego stammered, stepping back, shaking his head in denial. "You were an orphan... your mother died in a public charity ward... you had nobody!"
"My mother was hiding me from men who killed for greed," Elena said, stepping closer until she stood inches from Diego. "Men just like you. But my father found me. And now, he has found you."
Arthur raised a single hand. Instantly, the large multimedia screens mounted across the ballroom flickered. Instead of the Vance corporate promotional videos, high-definition surveillance footage began to play in a loop: Diego holding the garden hose, Victoria smiling while Elena begged on her knees in the freezing rain, bruised and pregnant.
A horrified gasp erupted from the hundreds of guests. Influential investors began whispering furiously, pulling out their phones to cancel contracts on the spot.
"You like to play with water, Diego," Arthur said, his eyes drilling into the younger man's soul. "Let's see how well you swim when the entire city turns its back on you."
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Diego lunged forward, reaching wildly for Elena's arm. "Elena, listen to me! It was a mistake, you know how stressed I was—"
Before his fingers could touch her dress, Arthur’s security chief seized Diego’s wrist, twisting it sharply until bone popped. Diego collapsed to the floor with a agonized howl.
