PART 2: THE FALL OF THE ARROGANT AND THE ANGER FROM WITHIN
The cold sensation from the water still seeped through my clothes, softening my skin, but inside me, there was only a clear and resolute fire. The relaxed laughter of the man in the blue vest stopped short when his eyes met mine, sharp and fearless. He tilted his head, the smile on his lips stiffening, his feet unconsciously stepping back as he realized I wasn't sulking or begging for mercy as they had hoped.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you going to chase me?" Lucas's mother shouted, her voice sharp and cruel, her hand still clutching the empty metal box. "You only deserve to sit there and be our experiment! Don't you dare bring out that shameless device!"
Around the banquet table, the so-called upper class began to whisper and gossip. Their initial glee was gradually replaced by a bewildered anxiety. No normal person could endure such extreme patience while still maintaining a dignified and protective demeanor. I slowly placed my hand on the growing maternity dress covering my face, my gaze sweeping across the pale, panicked faces in the apartment.
Just as the atmosphere became incredibly heavy and suffocating, a deafening sound echoed from outside the main hallway of the mansion.
Bang!
The wooden door was slammed shut with immense force. It wasn't the familiar footsteps of servants or bodyguards, but the sudden, heavy, and authoritative stomp of boots. Federal special forces, clad in pitch-black combat uniforms, armed with specialized weapons and gleaming insignia, swiftly stormed the banquet hall, using all available exits.
"Stay still! No one is to move!"
The commander's deep, cold, and decisive voice cut through all the noise in the room. Lucas's mother shrieked, the box in her hand clattering to the floor. The man in the blue suit – my ex-husband – instantly lost all his arrogance, his face pale, his legs trembling as he collapsed to a gilded seat.
From behind the special forces formation, a woman stepped forward. It was Elena, my tech-savvy sister who had supported me in gathering all the transparent financial evidence over the past month. In Elena's hand was a tablet displaying a series of bright red trading charts and real-time asset freeze orders.
I slowly rose from the soaking wet car. Though my yellow dress and the water still dripped onto the floor, my gait was incredibly unsteady. I took steady steps toward Lucas, who was too terrified to even look me in the eye.
“Do you think this cheap prank can hide the years you’ve siphoned off millions of dollars from my family’s trust, Lucas?” I said, each word soft but chilling, like a knife cutting into my heart. “You think abandoning my mother and me will give you absolute power, a throne built on the money you’ve cheated and the sweat and tears of others?”
“Valerie… you… what are you saying…?” Lucas tensed his muscles, sweat beading on his brows like a wolf’s, his voice trembling with despair. “Things… things aren’t what you think…”
“Not what you think?” Elena coldly stepped forward, a tempting tablet placed before the stunned guests. "All overseas accounts in the Cayman Islands, the fraudulent loan accounts under dummy legal entities, and your grandfather's forged signature – all have been handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. An arrest warrant was signed ten minutes ago."
The crowd of distinguished guests around the table was about to erupt in chaos. The guards, who had been grinning and raising their glasses in toasts, were now frantically trying to escape, but all escape routes were blocked by federal agents. No one could get away.
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I straightened my posture, gently smoothing my wet hair, and offered a faint, powerful smile to the man who had once treated me like dirt.
"Tonight, the celebration of victory for the officially recognized is over," I said, looking directly into Lucas's eyes, where fear had transformed into utter terror. "And now, it's my turn to write the concluding paragraph for you all."
