Chapter 4 - The Public Eviction
The silence that blanketed the foyer was suffocating. The same five hundred people who had laughed at my humiliation just thirty minutes ago were now witnessing the brutal, instantaneous annihilation of the Sterling family.
"You can't do this!" Julian shouted, panic entirely overtaking him. He lunged toward me, his hands outstretched. "Clara, tell him! It was a mistake! I was stressed! We're married!"
Before Julian could get within three feet of me, my father’s security detail slammed him face-first into the marble reception desk, pinning his arms behind his back.
"Julian!" his mother, Eleanor, shrieked, rushing down the stairs.
"As of tonight, this hotel, your estates, your corporate holdings, and your private accounts are the property of Hayes Global," my father announced to Victor, ignoring the hysterical woman. "You are trespassing on my property."
Victor staggered backward, clutching his chest. "You set us up. You waited for this!"
"I gave you the rope, Victor," my father corrected coldly. "You and your son tied the noose. Now, get out of my building."
"My guests—"
"Are my guests now," my father interrupted. He turned to the crowd of stunned politicians and executives. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the interruption. The power will be restored momentarily. My staff will be providing complimentary champagne and suites for the evening. The Sterling family, however, will be leaving."
The emergency lights blinked off, and the grand crystal chandeliers instantly flared back to life in blinding brilliance.
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Under the harsh, unyielding light, the Sterlings looked pathetic. Julian was hauled to his feet by security, his custom tuxedo wrinkled and his nose bleeding from where it hit the marble.
The guests didn't look away. They lifted their phones. The same people who had recorded my slap were now gleefully recording the Sterlings being dragged out the front glass doors by armed guards.
