Chapter 4: The Betrayal at the Gala
Why?" Eva choked out, her voice trembling as she stared at the barrel of Vance's gun. "Why would my father do this to me?"
"Your father?" Vance laughed, a dry, mocking sound. "Richard didn't know. Well, not at first. I told him your injuries were permanent. I told him the experimental drug we used to 'save' your life had side effects that locked your spine. But the truth is, Eva, you are the sole heir to the Lancaster empire. If you were healthy, you would have taken your seat on the board. You would have looked into the books. You would have found out that I've been laundering billions through our pharmaceutical branch."
He stepped closer, his eyes cold.
"A paralyzed, depressed daughter who stays locked in a mansion is a very convenient tax write-off and a quiet shareholder. But then Daniel Thorne had to show his face again. And you had to start asking questions."
Eva felt a cold wave of anger wash over her fear. "My father will kill you when he finds out."
"Your father is currently at a live-streamed charity gala in front of five hundred people," Vance sneered. "And unfortunately, he is about to receive some terrible news. His tragic, paralyzed daughter has succumbed to a sudden, accidental overdose of her medication. And the prime suspect? The disgruntled carpenter who has been stalking her."
Vance pulled a small syringe from his pocket, filled with a clear liquid. "Compound 44-B. A double dose will stop your heart in minutes. No struggle. Just a sad, tragic end."
Eva’s hand drifted to her lap. Her fingers closed around the only weapon she had—the heavy, cherry-wood music box she had brought with her for comfort.
As Vance reached out to grab her arm, Eva swung the heavy wooden box with all her remaining strength, smashing it directly into Vance’s face.
The corner of the wooden box caught him squarely on the temple. Vance groaned, stumbling backward and dropping the gun.
Eva didn't hesitate. She slammed the door control button on her armrest. The heavy steel vault door began to slide shut.
Vance lunged forward, but he was a second too late. The heavy vault door hissed shut and locked with a solid, titanium click, trapping him inside with the secure servers.
Knowing she had only minutes before Vance’s men realized what had happened, Eva grabbed the decryption drive containing her medical files and sped out of the vault.
She needed to get to the gala. She needed to show her father—and the world—the truth.
Thirty minutes later, the grand ballroom of the Grand Plaza Hotel was glittering with crystal chandeliers and diamonds. Richard Lancaster stood on the main stage, delivering a speech about corporate philanthropy.
"We must remember those who are less fortunate," Richard said into the microphone, his voice echoing through the massive hall. "Those who suffer in silence..."
Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the back of the ballroom burst open.
A murmur rippled through the high-society crowd as Eva Lancaster wheeled herself down the center aisle. She was pale, her hair was slightly disheveled, and she was clutching a digital drive in her hand.
Behind her, several of Vance's security guards rushed in, trying to grab her.
"Stop them!" a voice shouted.
Daniel Thorne stepped out from the crowd, intercepting the first guard and tackling him to the polished marble floor. Chaos erupted in the ballroom. Screams echoed as guests scrambled out of the way.
"Eva!" Richard gasped from the stage, stepping away from the podium. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Tell them, Father!" Eva screamed, her voice cutting through the panic as she reached the foot of the stage. She pointed the digital drive at the massive projector screen behind him. "Tell them what Lancaster Industries did to me! Tell them why I'm in this chair!"
Before Richard could answer, Julian Vance, bleeding from a cut on his forehead, slipped into the ballroom through a side door. He raised a microphone of his own, connected to the ballroom's backup audio system.
"Don't listen to her!" Vance shouted, his voice booming. "Eva is under the influence of an experimental drug! She was kidnapped by this man—Daniel Thorne!"
Vance gestured to the guards who were now pinning Daniel to the ground.
"Daniel Thorne's wife died in a crash four years ago, and he has blamed the Lancaster family ever since! He drugged Eva and brought her here to extort us for fifty million dollars! I have the security footage to prove it!"
On the giant projector screen behind Richard, a heavily edited video clip began to play, showing Daniel entering Eva’s private clinic earlier that day, making it look like a coordinated abduction.
The crowd gasped. The narrative was spinning out of control.
"It's a lie!" Eva cried out, but her voice was drowned out by the murmurs of the horrified crowd. She looked at her father, pleading with her eyes. "Dad... please. Look at the files. They've been drugging me. Vance is laundering money. He's the one who paralyzed me!"
Richard looked at his daughter, then at Vance, and finally at the security footage. He looked incredibly old, his face pale and defeated.
May you like
"Eva..." Richard whispered, his voice trembling. "I... I didn't know."
"Make a choice, Richard," Vance hissed, stepping onto the stage, a smug, victorious smile playing on his lips. "Protect the company. Or let this lunatic ruin everything we've built."
