Chapter 5 - The Counter-Attack
"You can't do this to me! I am your mother!" Eleanor shrieked, her voice echoing desperately against the marble walls as four security guards hoisted her up by her arms.
"You stopped being my mother the day you decided to sell me out to secure Vanessa's inheritance," I said, my voice cutting through the chaos like a razor blade. I stepped down from the altar, my pearl-edged cathedral train sweeping majestically behind me.
Vanessa was thrashing wildly, her expensive makeup smeared with tears of rage and humiliation. "This isn't over! Claire, you ruined everything! You bitch!" she screamed as she was dragged backward toward the massive mahogany doors.
Arthur Sterling didn't even wait to be removed. He calmly turned on his heel, tucked his manila folder under his arm, and walked out of the ballroom under his own power, knowing his payday had just turned into a federal subpoena.
Within minutes, the heavy doors slammed shut, sealing out the chaos.
The silence that returned to the Bellmont ballroom was entirely different this time. It wasn't the tense, fragile silence of before, but a heavy, stunned quiet. Three hundred society elites sat frozen in their chairs, realizing they had just witnessed the most explosive corporate and family betrayal in New York history.
Adrian didn't let go of my hand. He pulled me closer, pressing a gentle kiss against my knuckles.
"You knew," Adrian murmured, a grin tugging at his lips. "You knew about the forged documents before today."
"Madame Dubois called me two weeks ago," I admitted quietly, leaning into his shoulder. "She noticed unusual encrypted data transfers originating from my mother’s IP address on the design house's private server. When we dug deeper, we found Arthur Sterling’s name all over the financial routing numbers."
"And you didn't tell me?" Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.
"I wanted to catch them in the act," I replied with a sweet smile. "I wanted them to step into the trap they built for me. And honestly? Watching Vanessa try to squeeze into my backup dress was worth every second of the stress."
A burst of genuine laughter escaped Adrian’s lips, breaking the lingering tension in the room. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest in front of all our guests.
Marcus, our wedding planner, cleared his throat nervously from the corner of the stage. He tapped his microphone, looking around the room with wide eyes.
May you like
"Uh... ladies and gentlemen," Marcus announced, his voice trembling slightly. "Shall we... shall we resume the ceremony?"
A sudden, roaring wave of applause erupted from the front row. The bridesmaids, who had sat in stunned horror moments before, jumped to their feet and began cheering. Flashbulbs went off again, but this time, it was pure celebration.
