Chapter 4 - The Eviction of the Parasites
The ballroom descended into absolute chaos.
The hotel manager, acting on direct orders from my father, motioned to the sound engineer. The romantic wedding waltz was abruptly cut off, replaced by the harsh, automated emergency lighting of the ballroom as the crystal chandeliers dimmed and the functional security lights flooded the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen," my father's voice boomed through the backup public address system. "The reception is concluded. Please collect your coats and exit through the south lobby. Security will assist you with transportation."
Murmurs of shock, excitement, and scandalous gossip erupted among the two hundred wedding guests. As the crowd began shuffling toward the exits, casting sideways, judgmental glances at Chloe, Eleanor, and Dominic, the true magnitude of their public execution set in.
Chloe was still screaming insults, thrashing against the guards who held her firmly by the wrists. Her designer wedding gown—the very dress she had bragged about costing twenty thousand dollars—was now trailing through spilled champagne and crushed glass on the floor.
Eleanor rushed toward my mother, her aristocratic composure completely shredded. "Catherine! You can't let them do this! We're family! We're connected!"
My mother stepped back, looking at Eleanor the way a scientist might examine a particularly repulsive specimen under a microscope.
"Family?" my mother replied, her voice dripping with refined disdain. "You spent three years mocking my daughter's clothes, insulting her background, and treating her like a servant in her own home. You raised a son who has the spine of an earthworm and the loyalty of a stray dog. You aren't family, Eleanor. You're an infestation."
Two local police officers, summoned by our legal team moments before the confrontation, walked through the side service doors. They didn't even need to ask questions; the high-definition security footage had already been downloaded directly to the precinct captain's tablet via our secure corporate network.
Officer Miller, a seasoned veteran with graying temples, walked straight up to Amanda, who was still weeping softly over her spilled pearls.
"Amanda Vance?" the officer asked, holding up a pair of steel handcuffs.
"I didn't steal anything! It was just a joke!" Amanda sobbed, backing away until she hit the wall.
"Attempted grand larceny and filing a false police report are no laughing matters, ma'am. Turn around and place your hands behind your back."
The metallic click of the handcuffs locking into place echoed across the ballroom like a death knell for the Montgomery family's social standing.
As Amanda was led away in tears, Officer Miller turned his attention to Eleanor and Chloe. "And as for the assault on Mrs. Sterling-Albright, we have the complete video record from three separate camera angles. You ladies will be accompanying us down to the precinct for booking."
"No! No, you can't do this! Do you know who my husband is?!" Eleanor shrieked, flailing wildly as the second pair of handcuffs was snapped around her wrists.
"I know he's currently liquidating whatever assets he has left to pay off his margin calls," Officer Miller replied dryly, guiding her toward the service elevator.
That left Dominic.
May you like
He was still kneeling on the marble floor, trembling violently, staring up at me with eyes hollowed out by pure, unadulterated terror. He realized then—with terrifying clarity—that every single luxury he enjoyed, every corporate promotion he had received at his firm, and every elite networking circle he had infiltrated was entirely due to quiet, invisible corporate strings pulled by my family in the background.
He hadn't married a poor, struggling analyst. He had married the key to the kingdom, and in his arrogance, he had thrown it into a shredder.
