Chapter 4 - The Shattered Glass
Victoria turned slowly toward the giant screen, her eyes widening in pure, unadulterated panic.
The confident, regal posture she had maintained for decades dissolved in a single breath.
"No..." Victoria stammered, her voice high and breathless. "Wait... that's impossible!"
She frantically shook her head, looking around at the sea of disgusted, horrified faces staring back at her.
"It's fake!" Victoria shrieked, her hand flying to her throat. "Someone edited the video! It's a digital setup! Don't believe it!"
"It's live feed, Victoria," a voice called out from the back of the crowd.
Claire, the head events coordinator, pushed her way through the circle of socialites.
Her face was deathly pale, her hands shaking, but her posture was rigid with a mother’s instinct. She saw the bright red scratch on her daughter's cheek, and a low, ragged sob tore from her throat.
"Lily!" Claire cried out, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around her child.
"Mommy, I'm okay," Lily whispered into her mother's shoulder, her small arms holding Claire tightly. "I told her she shouldn't have done it."
Victoria took a step back, her gold sequins rustling loudly in the quiet space.
"Claire, control your child!" Victoria hissed, trying desperately to rebuild her defense. "She ran into me! She ruined a fifty-thousand-dollar dress! The video is distorted!"
Before Claire could answer, heavy footsteps echoed across the oak floorboards.
Arthur Sterling—Victoria’s husband and the primary benefactor of the Sterling Foundation—stepped out from the executive lounge.
He looked at the towering screen displaying his wife’s violence on a loop.
Then he looked at the bleeding mark on the little girl's face.
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His expression wasn't angry.
It was utterly, terrifyingly empty.
