Chapter 4
The Annual Founders' Gala was the crown jewel of the city’s social calendar, held in the Grand Atrium of the National Museum. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm, golden glow over the priceless artifacts and the sea of black tuxedos and designer gowns.
When Marcus and Elena arrived, the entire room seemed to hold its collective breath.
Elena was a vision. She wore a bespoke crimson gown that draped elegantly over her pregnant figure, the deep color complementing her radiant skin. Around her neck rested a flawless diamond pendant—a Vance family heirloom. She walked with a quiet, unshakeable grace, her hand resting lightly on Marcus’s arm. He looked formidable in a classic black tuxedo, his eyes scanning the room with the sharp, predatory calculation of a king protecting his domain.
Whispers rippled through the crowd, parting like the Red Sea as the couple made their way to the VIP section. The investors who had once doubted Elena now bowed their heads in respectful deference, eager to shake Marcus’s hand and congratulate them on the upcoming arrival of their child.
But lurking in the shadows near the champagne fountain was Julianna. She looked remarkably out of place. Her dress, though expensive, was slightly wrinkled, and her eyes were dark and feverish. She clutched a manila folder to her chest like a shield.
As Marcus stepped away to speak with the Mayor, leaving Elena accompanied by two discreet but heavily armed security guards, Julianna made her move. She pushed past the waiters, her heels clicking aggressively on the marble floor.
"Well, well. If it isn't the conquering heroine," Julianna slurred slightly, stopping a few feet from Elena. The nearby guests instantly fell silent, turning their attention to the brewing confrontation.
Elena didn't flinch. She turned slowly, her expression cool and utterly unbothered. "Julianna. I’m surprised security let you in, considering your family no longer holds any stake in the foundations represented here."
"I'm here to do a public service," Julianna sneered, raising her voice so the surrounding elite could hear. She waved the manila folder. "Everyone thinks you're this perfect, disciplined woman who saved the maritime bonds. But I dug into your past, Elena. I found the sealed medical files. The redacted history."
The crowd murmured. Marcus, hearing the commotion, immediately broke away from the Mayor, his face darkening with a terrifying rage as he strode back toward his wife.
"Julianna, stop," Elena said, her voice dropping into a low, warning tone. "You don't know what you're holding."
"I know it’s a lie!" Julianna shouted, her composure completely shattering. "You’re a fraud! You manipulated Marcus, and I have the proof right here that you—"
"That she what?" Marcus’s voice boomed across the atrium, cold and sharp as a guillotine blade. He stepped in front of Elena, shielding her completely. "Finish that sentence, Julianna, and I will ensure you spend the rest of your life buried in so much litigation you won't be able to afford the air you breathe."
Julianna trembled but held up the file. "She has a sealed medical history, Marcus! A hidden past!"
Marcus didn't yell. He didn't lose his temper. Instead, a slow, chilling smile spread across his face. He reached out, snatched the folder from Julianna’s shaking hand, and opened it. He barely glanced at the papers before tossing them onto the marble floor.
"You spent your last remaining dollars on a private investigator who hacked a secure government database," Marcus said loudly, his voice echoing in the silent hall. "Only to find the medical records of Elena’s bone marrow donation three years ago. The donation she made anonymously to save a child suffering from leukemia. The records were sealed at her request, because my wife, unlike you, does not use her charity as a social currency."
The room gasped. The silence that followed was suffocating.
Julianna stared at the scattered papers, the realization of her ultimate, humiliating failure crashing down on her. She had tried to find a scandal and had instead publicly broadcasted Elena’s selflessness.
"Furthermore," Marcus continued, signaling to the two security guards. "Hacking a sealed medical database is a federal offense. I forwarded your investigator's digital footprint to the authorities an hour ago. I believe they are waiting for you in the lobby."
As if on cue, two plainclothes detectives stepped into the atrium, flashing their badges. Julianna let out a pathetic, broken sob as they gently but firmly took her by the arms, escorting her out of the gala in front of everyone she had ever tried to impress. She was entirely ruined.
Elena leaned against Marcus, the adrenaline suddenly draining from her system. A sharp, sudden pain radiated across her lower back, making her gasp and clutch Marcus’s arm tightly.
May you like
Marcus turned to her, his fierce expression melting into pure panic. "Elena? Is it the baby?"
"Marcus," she breathed, a breathless smile breaking through the sudden pain. "I think... I think the baby decided this was enough drama for one night. It’s time."
