Chapter 10: The Gala of Knives
The Halcyon Hotel ballroom was a sea of flashing cameras and murmuring elites. It was exactly one week after the original scandal, but this time, the tension was intentional.
Julian had invited every major news network. The entire board of directors sat in the front row. The world was watching.
Leah stood backstage, looking in the mirror. She wore a stunning, deep emerald gown that Julian had commissioned for her. Her dark hair was swept up, and pinned prominently on her collarbone was the pale-green Mercer signet. She looked every inch a billionaire heiress.
Mateo stepped up behind her, adjusting his tuxedo cuffs. "You look terrifying."
"Good," Leah breathed. "Is the trap set?"
"My dad’s IT guy has the flash drive plugged into the main projector," Mateo confirmed. "The second Eleanor plays her hand, I give the signal, and her financial records go live to millions of people."
"Thank you, Mateo. For everything."
Mateo turned her around, his hands resting on her waist. For a second, the chaos of the world faded. He leaned in, his lips brushing softly against hers. It was a promise. A tether to reality before they walked into the fire.
"Showtime," Julian announced, stepping into the backstage area. He looked at Leah with immense pride. He offered her his arm. "Ready to meet the world, Miss Mercer?"
Leah took his arm. "Ready."
They walked out onto the stage, greeted by a blinding flurry of camera flashes. The crowd erupted into whispers. Julian stepped up to the podium, tapping the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Julian began, his voice echoing through the ballroom. "A week ago, a revelation occurred in this very room. Tonight, I stand before you to officially introduce my daughter, and the sole heir to the Mercer fortune, Leah Mercer."
Applause rippled through the room, mostly from the board members who had already sworn allegiance.
Suddenly, a sharp laugh cut through the noise.
The crowd parted as Eleanor Mercer walked down the center aisle. She wore a blood-red dress, looking victorious. Behind her walked Hayes, carrying a sealed manila envelope.
"What a touching performance, Julian," Eleanor mocked, stepping up to the edge of the stage. "But it’s a fairy tale."
Cameras pivoted frantically toward Eleanor.
"This woman is a fraud," Eleanor announced to the press. "Julian is suffering from severe delusions, and this grifter has taken advantage of his illness. But I have proof."
She snatched the envelope from Hayes and held it up.
"This is the official, court-ordered DNA test from City General Hospital," Eleanor declared. "I intercepted the courier tonight. Let’s read the results, shall we?"
Leah caught Mateo’s eye in the wings. She gave him a subtle nod.
Eleanor ripped open the envelope and pulled out the paper. She smiled triumphantly, opening her mouth to announce Leah's destruction.
But as Eleanor's eyes scanned the page, her smile vanished. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking like a corpse. She read the paper again, her hands beginning to shake violently.
"No," Eleanor whispered. "No, this is impossible."
Leah stepped up to the microphone, her voice dripping with ice. "What does it say, Eleanor? Read it to the cameras."
Eleanor couldn't speak. She looked at Hayes, sheer panic in her eyes.
Julian snatched the paper from Eleanor's trembling hands and held it up to the microphones.
"Probability of Paternity: 99.9%," Julian read loud and clear.
The ballroom exploded into chaos. Reporters shouted questions.
Leah leaned down, whispering so only Eleanor could hear. "Did you really think I didn't know you bribed the lab tech? Mateo paid him double to switch the fake results back to the real ones."
Eleanor bared her teeth like a trapped rat. "You little bitch. I will kill you."
Leah smiled. She looked at Mateo and gave the final signal.
"You won't have the time," Leah said, just as the massive screens behind the stage flickered to life.
Instead of the Mercer logo, the screens displayed high-resolution images of Eleanor’s offshore bank accounts, the shell company names, and the exact amounts stolen from the children's hospitals she supposedly championed.
The gasps in the room were deafening.
"Fraud. Embezzlement. Grand Larceny," Leah announced to the stunned crowd.
At the back of the ballroom, the doors swung open, and four federal agents walked in, badges raised.
Eleanor spun around, her eyes wild, realizing her empire had just burned to the ground. She looked at Hayes, silently begging for an escape, but Hayes had already slipped out a side door, abandoning her.
May you like
As the agents moved in to place Eleanor Mercer in handcuffs, Leah stood tall beside her father, the flashbulbs illuminating the pale-green signet pin on her chest.
She had lost her mother. She had lost her shop. But she had won the war.
