Chapter 3
The chaos in the ballroom erupted like a shattered dam as guests scrambled toward the exits, eager to escape the epicenter of the Vance family scandal. Julian struggled to push himself up from the tangled heap of lighting equipment, a jagged scratch running down his cheek and blood pooling on his lower lip. He stared up at his father, his eyes wide with a mixture of pain and sheer, unadulterated terror. Arthur stood motionless above him, his posture rigid, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. Valerie had already retreated toward the grand mahogany doors, flanked by her nervous public relations team, casting one last disdainful look at Julian before disappearing into the night.
"Arthur, please," Julian choked out, wiping a smear of blood from his chin with the sleeve of his expensive tuxedo. "It was just a misunderstanding. I was going to bring her home after the gala. The media... the shareholders... they would have ripped our stock apart if they knew I had a daughter out of wedlock while negotiating the Vance-Sterling merger."
Arthur’s voice was a low, glacial rumble that cut through the lingering echoes of the room. "You didn't hide her for the shareholders, Julian. You hid her because you were ashamed of the life she represented. You were ashamed of your own flesh and blood."
"That's not true!" Julian protested, scrambling backward until his spine hit the base of a marble pillar. "I've provided for her! She has a nanny, a nursery, everything she could possibly need!"
"Except a father," Arthur interrupted, his tone dropping an octave lower, carrying the crushing weight of finality. "She had a father who looked her in the eye tonight and called her a stranger. A father who let her fall on a hardwood floor and labeled her as garbage just to impress a woman who wouldn't even piss on him if he were on fire."
Little Lily clutched the hem of Arthur’s jacket, burying her face in his trousers, softly sniffling. Arthur gently placed a large, calloused hand on her blonde pigtails, offering a silent anchor in the storm. He looked down at his son one last time, his expression completely devoid of pity.
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"You hid my granddaughter to impress this woman," Arthur said, his voice ringing with absolute finality as he stared intensely at the broken man on the floor. "You're finished."
Julian froze, the blood draining completely from his face. "What... what do you mean by that?"
