Chapter 2 - THE UNRAVELINGBeatrice dropped her glass. It shattered against the marble floor, champagne spraying across the hemlines of nearby guests.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Beatrice shrieked, rushing toward the AV booth. "Turn it off! Someone turn that slander off!"
"Don't bother, Beatrice," my voice cut through the venue's master microphone.
I stepped out from behind the velvet curtains, walking deliberately toward the stage. Every eye in the room tracked my movement. The whispers started instantly—some recognized me from news reports about a woman found hospitalized on the private coast; others recognized me as the lead compliance officer sent by the federal regulators.
"You thought you left me with nothing on that beach, Julian," I said, my voice smooth, cold, and amplified to perfection. "You took my primary phone. You took my car keys. You even took my dignity for a few hours. But you forgot one fundamental rule of forensic law: Data always leaves a trail."
On the screen behind Julian, the audio wave paused, replaced by a high-resolution satellite map. Red blinking dots traced my exact path on the night of the attack, synchronized with my smartwatch biometric data.
Heart rate: 168 BPM (Physical Assault Detected)
Location: Pendelton Private Cove, Gate 4
LPR Gate Camera: License plate #7XYZ09 (Julian’s vehicle entering with 3 occupants, exiting with 2).
"You lied to the police," I continued, approaching the foot of the stage. "You told them I was never at the beach. You told them I was mentally unstable. And your mother..." I turned to Beatrice, whose face was now mottled with rage and terror. "...called me an attention-seeker while I was in the ICU receiving two units of blood."
"You lying bitch!" Chloe yelled from the front row, stepping forward. "You fabricated that! Julian would never—"
"Quiet, Chloe," I interrupted cleanly. "Because we aren't just talking about your little beach assault tonight. We're here to talk about why Julian wanted my phone so badly."
The screen flickered again. The satellite map vanished, replaced by the contents of the USB drive Chloe had dropped during the scuffle on the sand.
Folders opened automatically. Spreadsheets unfolded like digital body bags.
PROJECT: ANNIVERSARY TRANSFER
Destination: Cayman Shell Corp #88102
May you like
Amount: $42,500,000
Authorized By: Julian Vane / Co-signed: Chloe Miller
