Chapter 5: The Unblinking Eye**
Julian did not shout. He did not flinch. He picked Lily up, resting her head against his shoulder, and walked straight toward the central stage where the corporate presentation screen hung.
"Walter," Julian said smoothly, his tone chillingly calm. "You mentioned corporate security earlier this morning. You reminded me that every public area of this estate was upgraded last month with high-definition optical feeds."
Alana’s breath caught in her throat. The color drained from her face.
Julian tapped his smartphone against the podium’s control dock. The towering screen flickered to life, displaying a crystal-clear, four-angle replay of the last two minutes in the ballroom.
The video showed Alana intentionally grabbing Lily’s tiny wrist, forcing the glass swan from her fingers, throwing it into the champagne glasses, and deliberately slicing her own forearm on a jagged edge before screaming.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
"Is this the instability you were referring to, Walter?" Julian asked, turning his gaze slowly from the screen to his trembling wife.
The board members looked away in disgust. Walter stepped back, his hands raised in surrender, abandoning Alana where she stood.
"Security," Julian commanded quietly. "Escort Mrs. Thorne to the gatehouse. She will collect her personal belongings in the presence of an officer tomorrow morning."
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Alana tried to speak, but no words came. Surrounded by private security, she was led out of the grand hall in utter humiliation.
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