CHAPTER 3: The Monster Unmasked
CHAPTER 3: The Monster Unmasked
Victor backed away.
"No..."
"This isn't possible."
I nodded toward the ballroom screens.
"Play the evidence."
One video after another filled the room.
Secret recordings.
Offshore banking records.
Encrypted messages.
Security footage.
Bribery.
Money laundering.
Witness intimidation.
Even murder-for-hire negotiations.
Every crime Victor had buried over the last decade unfolded before hundreds of society's most powerful people.
The guests watched in horrified silence.
One woman covered her mouth.
A famous television anchor slowly removed the diamond necklace Victor had gifted her earlier that evening.
A state senator quietly slipped away from Victor's side.
No one wanted to be associated with him anymore.
Victor screamed.
"Those videos are fake!"
The commander calmly handed him a tablet.
"Then perhaps you'd like to explain why they came from your own encrypted servers."
Victor's hands began shaking.
His lawyers rushed forward.
"We demand our client remain silent."
"Excellent decision," I replied.
"Because everything he says from this point forward will be recorded."
Federal agents moved through the ballroom with military precision.
Phones were collected.
Hard drives seized.
Every guest was identified before anyone was allowed to leave.
Then Victor made one desperate mistake.
He lunged toward me.
He never reached me.
Three agents intercepted him before he had taken two steps.
His face hit the marble floor.
Cold steel handcuffs snapped shut around his wrists.
The same man who had ruled the city through fear...
Now couldn't even stand without permission.
He looked up at me with hatred burning in his eyes.
"You planned this..."
I crouched beside him.
"No."
May you like
"You planned this yourself."
"I simply stopped getting in your way."
