Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING FOR ELEVATOR ROYALTIESWith Julian hauled away in handcuffs, the heavy silence in the ballroom shifted into an uneasy, suffocating tension. All eyes slowly drifted toward Eleanor, who stood trapped between the security guards like a criminal awaiting execution.
Eleanor swallowed hard, her haughty composure completely shattered. She forced a trembling, pathetic smile as she looked at Arthur. "Arthur... surely you aren't going to let this happen. We've been friends—partners—for decades. You can't let this gold-digger destroy everything!"
Arthur slowly raised his head. His eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth or pity. "Eleanor, twenty-five years ago, you helped Julian forge the documents that declared my daughter dead. You helped him lock her away in a psychiatric facility so he could steal her inheritance."
Eleanor’s face turned chalk white. "That... that's a lie! You have no proof!"
"I don't need proof," a new voice chimed in.
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A sleek, middle-aged woman in a sharp business suit stepped out from the crowd of reporters. She held up a digital recording device. "I’m Chief Inspector Vance’s former lead archivist. I’ve been sitting on the original confession tapes of the facility director who helped Julian and Eleanor fake Katherine's death certificate. The audio has already been transmitted to the district attorney’s office."
Eleanor’s knees buckled. She dropped to the marble floor, sobbing hysterically as security guards clamped steel handcuffs around her wrists as well. As they dragged her out, her expensive silk gown dragged across the floor, leaving a symbolic trail of defeat behind her.
