Chapter 7 - The Whispered Ultimatum
The silence in the grand ballroom grew so profound that the distant hum of the air conditioning sounded like a roaring gale. Julian stared at the minister, the single word 'I' caught in his throat like jagged glass. Every eye in the room was fixed upon him, waiting for the customary affirmation that would seal his fate. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marcus subtly lift his smartphone, his thumb hovering over the screen. A tiny red notification light blinked on the device, a silent signal representing the destruction of Julian’s entire legacy.
"I..." Julian began, his voice hoarse, devoid of any romantic warmth.
Before he could finish, a sharp, piercing chime echoed from the front row. It wasn’t Marcus’s phone, and it wasn't the sound of an incoming call. It was a localized emergency broadcast alert, pinging simultaneously on the devices of every single investor, journalist, and family member seated in the first five rows. Dozens of screens lit up in unison, casting an eerie blue glow across the opulent attire of the elite guests.
Marcus’s triumphant smirk vanished instantly, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated panic as he pulled his own phone from his pocket and stared at the incoming data stream.
"What is this?" a prominent board member muttered loudly, standing up from his seat and tapping frantically at his screen. "My portfolio access has just been frozen. The corporate accounts... they're being drained!"
Lily’s grip on Julian’s arm tightened into a claw, her manicured nails digging painfully through his sleeve. "What did you do?" she hissed, her face draining of all color as she whipped her head toward Marcus. "Did you set the timer early?"
"I didn't touch anything!" Marcus whispered back, his voice cracking with panic as he rapidly scrolled through encrypted error codes filling his display. "Someone else has breached our server!"
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Julian felt a grim, humorless smile tug at the corner of his mouth. The trap they had built for him was suddenly collapsing inward, devouring its architects.
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