Chapter 5 - The Gala ExecutionThe annual Chicago Real Estate & Commerce Gala took place inside the Grand Ballroom of the Drake Hotel downtown.
Over four hundred prominent business leaders, socialites, and reporters packed the room beneath the glittering crystal chandeliers.
Standing near the primary champagne bar, wearing an expensive tuxedo, boasting to three investors about his newest high-rise acquisition, was Trevor Ashford. Beside him stood Harper Lane, wearing an elaborate red silk gown, holding a glass of vintage wine.
Suddenly, the music playing over the house speakers died down.
The heavy double doors of the ballroom were pushed open.
Walking down the central aisle, wearing a breathtaking, floor-length emerald silk dress that draped over her radiant silhouette, holding her head high, was me.
And walking beside me—wearing an immaculate black suit without a tie, his tall frame radiating a terrifying, sovereign authority—was Adrian Markov.
The entire ballroom erupted into shocked whispers as a path cleared naturally before us.
Trevor dropped his champagne glass.
CRASH!
The glass shattered against the marble floorboards, spilling liquid across his shoes, but Trevor didn't look down. His jaw sagged open, his eyes bulging out of his head in total, horror-stricken shock as he stared at the woman he had discarded two weeks ago.
"Camilla...?" Trevor stammered, his voice cracking into a high, pathetic squeak. "What... what are you doing here with him?!"
Adrian stepped forward, his massive frame casting a dark, imposing shadow over Trevor and Harper.
"Miss Camilla is here as the majority shareholder of Ashford Development," Adrian announced cleanly, his baritone echoing through the silent room.
Harper gasped in panic. "That's impossible! Trevor owns eighty percent of the firm!"
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Adrian pulled a red-bordered legal folder from his jacket, dropping it onto a nearby table.
"As of eight o'clock this morning," Adrian stated with a razor-sharp smile, "the State Attorney General’s Office unsealed a twenty-count federal indictment against Trevor Ashford and Harper Lane for grand embezzlement, estate forgery, and wire fraud."
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