Chapter 5
The clasp of the leather folder gave way with a sharp snap that echoed loudly in the tense silence of the grand ballroom. Elena’s trembling fingers slid inside the compartment, pulling out a thick stack of heavy bond paper covered in her late father’s distinct, angular handwriting. The smell of aged ink and old paper rose from the pages.
"Read it out loud, Elena," Julian instructed gently, keeping his distance to give her space. "Read the audit report from the night of the accident."
Elena’s eyes scanned the first paragraph, and the color drained completely from her face. Her breath hitched in her throat. The paper fluttered slightly in her trembling hands.
"This... this is impossible," Elena whispered, her voice cracking with profound shock and horror. She looked up at Beatrice, tears finally spilling over her lashes. "Mom... it says here that father discovered the Vanguard Foundation was completely bankrupt. It says the endowment funds were systematically drained to buy offshore properties... under your name."
The guests standing near the periphery gasped loudly. Whispers erupted like a sudden wave across the room, turning into a chaotic chorus of shock and disbelief. The untouchable reputation of the Vanguard family was shattering in real-time.
Beatrice did not deny it. Instead, her posture straightened, and a cold, ruthless defiance replaced the panic in her eyes. She signaled the two guards with a subtle flick of her wrist.
"You foolish, naive girl," Beatrice said, her voice dripping with venom. "Your father was weak. He wanted to confess everything to the board, to destroy our entire legacy out of some misplaced sense of moral purity. We simply... preserved what he lacked the strength to protect."
"You murdered him," Elena said, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. She dropped the papers onto the floor, staring at her mother as if seeing a monster for the first time. "You and Marcus... you pushed him into the water, just like Julian said you would."
"Accidents happen to people who lose their footing, my dear," Beatrice replied smoothly, showing no remorse whatsoever. "Just like accidents happen to people who poke their noses into business that doesn't concern them."
Before Elena could scream, Marcus lunged forward with terrifying speed, drawing a heavy, concealed stun baton from his jacket. He aimed it directly at Julian’s chest, his face twisted in a desperate, murderous snarl.
Julian anticipated the move. With a swift, practiced motion, he grabbed a heavy silver tray from the floor and swung it upward with devastating force, slamming it directly into Marcus’s wrist. The stun baton flew from Marcus’s hand, clattering loudly against the marble stairs.
Marcus roared in pain, clutching his broken wrist as he stumbled backward into the arms of the two approaching guards. The guards immediately drew their sidearms, pointing them squarely at Julian and Elena.
"Hold your fire!" a commanding voice echoed from the main entrance doors, cutting through the chaos.
Everyone froze. Standing in the doorway was Captain Vance of the federal police, flanked by a dozen heavily armed tactical officers with their badges gleaming under the bright lights.
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Beatrice’s face instantly turned as pale as death. She looked from Captain Vance back to Julian, realizing too late the true depth of the trap.
"It's over, Beatrice," Julian said, wiping a final drop of water from his forehead. "You're under arrest."
