Chapter 8 - The Gala of Deceit“She walked into the billionaire gala in a red dress, carrying the evidence that would tear the empire apart…”The Friday night Carter Global Annual Gala was held at the Grand Regency Hotel in downtown Dallas. The ballroom was a sea of tuxedos, glittering gowns, high-stakes investors, and paparazzi cameras flashes.
Julian stood near the main stage, sipping champagne, chatting smugly with members of the board of directors. He looked like a man who already wore the crown.
Ethan stood near the entrance, looking stoic and utterly defeated. He knew that without proof of the forgery, defending himself would ruin the company’s stock and drag his children’s names through the mud. He was prepared to sign the resignation papers sitting inside his jacket pocket.
Suddenly, the heavy glass doors of the ballroom swung open.
The room went quiet.
Walking down the grand staircase was not a nanny in a plain beige uniform.
It was me.
I wore a sweeping, floor-length crimson silk gown, my hair styled in elegant vintage waves. Around my neck hung a simple silver chain with a small heart pendant that Daisy had given me.
Ethan’s eyes widened in sheer astonishment as I walked directly toward him.
"Naomi?" Ethan breathed, staring at me as if I were a vision. "What are you doing here? Where are the kids?"
"Safe at home with Mrs. Gable and four armed guards," I whispered, sliding my arm through his. "And you are not signing anything tonight, Ethan."
"Naomi, you don't understand," Ethan sighed heavily. "Julian has the electronic signatures. I can't prove—"
"He has the electronic signatures because he used your late wife’s encrypted personal tablet," I interrupted softly, reaching into my evening clutch bag. "The tablet Victoria tried to steal from the safe three weeks ago."
Ethan froze. "What?"
"Victoria wasn't trying to steal diamonds," I explained quickly. "Julian paid her to retrieve Sarah's old iPad from the estate safe because Sarah held the primary security bypass keys to your corporate accounts. Julian used her old login credentials to forge your signature."
I pulled out a small silver flash drive and pressed it into Ethan's palm.
"What is this?" Ethan asked.
"While Julian was out of his office yesterday, the triplets and I paid a little visit to his suite," I smiled mischievously. "Mason is surprisingly good at picking simple desk locks, and Madison found the backup hard drive Julian kept hidden inside a hollowed-out book."
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Ethan stared at the flash drive, then looked up at me, a mixture of awe, passion, and sheer disbelief burning in his eyes. "You risked everything to get this?"
"You saved my daughter, Ethan," I said softly, touching his cheek. "I’d burn down the world before I let anyone destroy yours."
