Chapter 63
No.1
August held the black tablet in his large hand. The high-definition video of Allena throwing herself backward down the stairs was still looping silently on the screen.
He stared at the footage for exactly one second. For a fraction of that second, a flicker of cold,hard shock registered in his eyes. He saw the blatant, undeniable deception. He saw the lie. But then, another, more powerful realization crashed over him: the public humiliation of admitting he'd been duped, of having chosen a liar over his wife in front of his entire social circle. His ego, vast and fragile, violently rejected the truth. His facial expression didn't change. There was no realization of his own horrific mistake.
His thumb moved. He pressed the power button on the side of the device.
The screen instantly went black, swallowing the truth whole.
Devon finally snapped out of his paralysis. He took a
step toward August, his hands shaking, his voice a confused, stuttering mess.
"August... the video," Devon stammered, pointing at the blank tablet. "Allena... she wasn't pushed. I think she might have just slipped... or maybe she lost her balance..."
August slowly raised his free hand, holding it flat in the air.
It was a silent, absolute command to shut up.Devon's mouth clicked shut instantly.
No.2
August was not going to let Devon finish that sentence. He was absolutely unwilling to let the image of Allena as a perfect, innocent victim be shattered in front of these people. His ego was too deeply tied to her purity.
August turned his head slowly. He locked his dark,terrifying gaze onto the trembling estate manager.
"Tell me," August said, his voice a low, vibrating threat that chilled the air in the corridor. "What does the Belmont Resort's VIP privacy policy state regarding internal security footage?"
The manager's knees practically buckled. He swallowed hard, his voice shaking as he recited the corporate mandate.
"Sir... the policy states that no internal security footage may be retained, copied, or viewed without the unanimous, written consent of all VIP guests involved in the incident."
August gave a slow, satisfied nod. He casually tossed the black tablet back into the manager's chest. The manager scrambled to catch it before it hit the floor.
"Since Ms. Mills is currently receiving medical treatment for severe trauma," August said, his tone dripping with fake legal authority, "she is in no condition to provide consent. Therefore, this footage is a violation of her privacy. Delete it. Completely wipe the server.Now."
Elisa stared at him.
She knew this man was arrogant. She knew he was selfish. But watching him stand in a hallway full of witnesses and blatantly, shamelessly order the destruction of evidence to protect a liar was a level of sociopathic entitlement that defied logic.
No.3
She took a step forward. Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. Her voice trembled, not from fear,but from a rage so pure it burned her throat.
"August," Elisa said, her voice cracking like a whip."That video is the only proof of my innocence. You are destroyingevidence to protect a woman who faked an injury to frame your wife. Have you completely lost your mind?"
August slowly turned to face her.
He looked down at her. His eyes were completely devoid of empathy. He looked at her with the supreme, condescending arrogance of a god looking at a complaining mortal.
He took one step closer, invading her personal space. He leaned down, lowering his voice so only she could hear the absolute poison in his words.
"Proof?" August whispered harshly. "You want to talk about proof? Even if she faked the fall, why did she do it? Because you provoked her. Because you stood there and insulted her. If you hadn't been so hostile,she wouldn't have felt the need to defend herself.Ultimately, Elisa, this is still your fault."
The words hit Elisa's brain, but they didn't process as language. They processed as a physical sickness.
It was the ultimate, twisted logic of an abuser. The victim-blaming was so absolute, so deeply ingrained in his psyche, that he actually believed his own lies.
Elisa felt something inside her chest finally,permanently snap. The last microscopic thread of human connection she had to this man turned to ash and blew away. Her heart became a solid block of ice.④
No.4
She didn't argue. She didn't scream. She just stared at him with dead, empty eyes.
The socialites in the hallway, taking their cue from August's dominant posture, instantly shifted their allegiance back to power.
"He's right," a man muttered. "She probably said something horrific to trigger the poor girl."
"She's toxic. She just wants to ruin the event."
August turned his back on Elisa. He faced the crowd,adjusting his suit jacket, instantly slipping back into his role as the benevolent billionaire.
"This ridiculous spectacle is over," August announced loudly. "To ensure the safety and comfort of the remaining guests, I am asking security to escort the instigator off the premises immediately."
He didn't even use her name. He called her 'the instigator'.
The two massive bodyguards immediately stepped forward. They flanked Elisa, their large hands hovering inches from her arms, projecting a clear threat of physical force if she resisted.
Elisa didn't fight them.
No.5
Fighting physical giants in a concrete basement would only make her look desperate and unhinged.She had too much dignity to give them that satisfaction.
She straightened her spine. She lifted her chin. She looked at the crowd of wealthy parasites, her eyes sweeping over them with a look of such profound,aristocratic disgust that several of them actually looked away in shame.
Finally, her gaze locked onto Augus's back.
A slow, terrifying, completely unnatural smile curved Elisa's lips.
"Remember exactly what you did today, August,"Elisa said. Her voice was soft, but it carried a chilling,metallic echo down the hallway. "Because I promise you, a day is coming very soon where you will be on your knees, begging me to delete this memory."
August's spine stiffened. The sheer, absolute certainty in her voice sent a sudden, involuntary spike of ice-cold panic straight into his heart. He forced himself not to turn around. He just let out a dismissive scoff.
Elisa turned around.
She walked down the corridor, the two bodyguards trailing her like prison wardens. She walked with perfect, unhurried grace, her footsteps echoing loudly against the concrete.
Ten minutes later, the bright afternoon sun blinded her as she stepped out of the resort lobby.
No.6
She walked across the gravel driveway to the valet stand. She handed the attendant her ticket. A minute later, the dark grey Porsche 911 GT3 pulled up, its
engine rumbling like a caged beast.
Elisa opened the heavy door and slid into the low carbon-fiber bucket seat.
She slammed the door shut. The thick acoustic glass instantly cut off the outside world. The silence of the cabin wrapped around her.
She reached behind her, her fingers gently touching her lower back. She winced as a sharp spike of pain shot through her muscles. A massive, dark bruise was already forming under her skin.
She pulled her phone from her pocket. She didn't call a doctor. She didn't call Jewel. Before she could open her secure app, a message from Jewel flashed on the screen: Trouble. A nasty rumor about you and Allena just hit a trashy gossip blog. Looks like Devon's people are already starting something. The seed of the attack had already been planted.
She opened her encrypted dialing app and pressed a single button.
The line connected instantly.
"Alastair," Elisa said. Her voice was entirely stripped
No.7
of emotion. It was the voice of a machine executing a kill code. "Accelerate the timeline. They've declared war. I want the Chambers family to wake up and see hell on the financial news tonight."
A low, dark chuckle came through the speaker.
"As you wish, Faye," Alastair replied.
Elisa dropped the phone onto the passenger seat.She gripped the Alcantara steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. She slammed her foot down on the accelerator.
The Porsche's engine screamed, the tires violently tearing at the gravel as the car shot forward, leaving the Belmont Resort behind in a cloud of dust.④