Chapter 7 - THE UNMASKING AT THE GALATwo weeks later, the annual Moretti Foundation Charity Gala filled the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel with Manhattan's elite.
Chandeliers glittered overhead. Champagne flowed freely.
At the center stage stood Luka Moretti, wearing a bespoke tuxedo, looking every bit the ruthless billionaire tech tycoon he was. Beside him, standing with breathtaking grace and quiet confidence, was Elena Vance.
She wore a stunning, backless emerald-silk gown that accentuated her elegant posture, a sparkling diamond necklace resting against her collarbone. She didn't look like the terrified, abandoned mother in the hospital gown anymore. She looked like royalty.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Luka’s deep, resonant voice echoed effortlessly through the ballroom’s sound system. "Thank you for celebrating innovation and philanthropy with us tonight. But before we begin our annual grant presentations, I want to formally introduce a partner who will be taking over as Chairwoman of the Moretti-Vance Biomedical Institute."
Applause erupted across the room as Elena stepped up to the microphone.
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Near the back of the ballroom, standing near the service doors, a disheveled figure slipped into the room.
It was Richard Vance. He had posted bail on a signature bond through a shady bail bondsman, and his eyes burned with a mixture of utter desperation and psychotic rage. He stared at Elena on the stage, his mind snapping under the weight of his total ruin.
