Chapter 8 - The Public Execution
"Are you insane, Bennett?" Vance hissed as I approached the stage. "You work at the shop I'm buying out. You're fired as of right now."
"I quit," I replied coldly. I turned to Marcus, who was standing by the A/V booth at the back of the room. I gave him a nod.
Marcus plugged his tablet into the ballroom’s projection system.
Suddenly, the massive screens that had been displaying Vance’s corporate logo flickered. The crystal-clear video of the chemistry lab filled the screens. The audio blasted through the high-end speakers, echoing off the chandeliers.
"My dad promised me a new Porsche if I got that scholarship... I figured your little college fund could buy me the rims instead. A little AI software... boom. You're a pariah."
The collective gasp from the crowd sucked the oxygen out of the room. Wealthy parents covered their mouths in horror.
Then, Principal Evans’s face appeared on screen.
"Mr. Vance takes care of the school's funding. I take care of Mr. Vance's son..."
Richard Vance dropped his crystal trophy. It shattered into a thousand pieces on the stage, the sound mimicking his destroyed reputation.
"This... this is a fake!" Vance stammered, his face turning purple. "It's a setup!"
"It's raw, unedited footage transmitted directly to secure servers," Marcus announced from the back, holding up his tablet. "And copies have just been emailed to the local news stations, the State Board of Education, and the FBI field office."
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I stepped up onto the stage, walking right up to Richard Vance. He was trembling. The untouchable billionaire was finally feeling the fear my teenage daughter had felt for weeks.
"You thought you could prey on my family because we don't have your money," I said quietly, so only he could hear. "But you forgot one thing, Richard. A father protecting his daughter is more dangerous than any bank account you possess."
