Chapter 2 - Shattered Glass and Hidden Lies
The sharp crack of plastic splintering echoed through the ballroom as Matthew smashed Evelyn’s smartphone against the marble pillar, sending tiny pieces of glass skittering across the floor. Lily’s name vanished from the illuminated display in a dead black void. Evelyn flinched at the sudden violence, her hands pressing flat against the cold stone to keep herself from collapsing entirely.
“You absolute fool,” Matthew hissed, standing over her with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. “That phone was backed up to the cloud the second I logged into the corporate network,” Aidan intervened smoothly, stepping between Matthew and the kneeling woman. Aidan reached into his beige trouser pocket and produced a sleek, identical device, unlocking it with a single tap. A synchronized audio track began to play softly through the room's high-end architectural speakers, filling the grand space with a chillingly familiar conversation.
Serena froze, her posture stiffening inside the white satin gown as the voice of her own attorney echoed off the walls, detailing a systematic plan to siphon funds from Evelyn’s personal trust to cover up an unsolved hit-and-run accident from six years ago.
“Turn that off right now, Aidan,” Serena ordered, her usual poise finally cracking as a bead of sweat formed at her temple.
“Why should I?” Aidan asked, his dark styled hair catching the light as he tilted his head. “You both thought you could use the corporate merger to bury Evelyn under mountains of legal debt and keep little Lily locked away in that boarding school forever. But you forgot one crucial detail.”
Evelyn looked up, her blue eyes reflecting the glow of the speakers. “My father left the primary shares of the holding company to me, not to Matthew. The marriage certificate was valid, but the prenuptial agreement you forged last month was missing a witness signature.”
Matthew’s face drained of all color, the sharp jawline clenching so hard a muscle twitched violently in his cheek. He stepped past Aidan and hauled Evelyn roughly to her feet by her knit cardigan, ignoring the fabric tearing under his grip.
“You sign those divorce papers right now, or you will never see your daughter again,” Matthew whispered fiercely into her ear.
Evelyn did not scream or cry. Instead, she reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out an unsealed manila envelope, sliding a small microcassette tape onto his palm.
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“Lily isn't at the boarding school,” Evelyn whispered back with a chilling smile. “And social services is already listening to this tape.”
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