Chapter 12 - The Midnight Masquerade
By 11:30 PM, the grand hall of the Vance Mansion was filled with wealthy shareholders, lawyers, and high-society journalists.
Massive crystal chandeliers cast a warm, opulent light across the marble floors, masking the sinister deceit brewing within the walls.
Maria stood near the main stage, wearing a stunning black velvet gown and holding a glass of vintage champagne.
Her expression was a masterclass in tragic elegance—a grieving widow preparing to carry on her late husband's legacy.
Dr. Harrison stood beside her, adjusting his golden spectacles with nervous, sweaty fingers.
"Are you absolute certain the body in the basement cannot be identified?" Dr. Harrison whispered frantically under his breath.
"Relax, Doctor," Maria purred softly behind her champagne flute.
"The elevator crash burned everything to unrecognizable ash," she lied smoothly, her eyes gleaming with absolute coldness.
"You signed the death certificate, you received your twenty million dollars in your Swiss account, now play your role," she hissed.
Dr. Harrison swallowed hard and nodded quickly, stepping back into the crowd of reporters.
Meanwhile, in the shadows of the secondary floor balcony, three figures dressed in black security uniforms moved silently.
Marcus guided Julian and Arthur through the maintenance corridors, bypassing every camera using his master override code.
Arthur was wrapped in a heavy trench coat, a black tactical mask hiding the lower half of his face.
Though his body was still aching from the paralysis drug, the raw adrenaline driving him was absolute.
"The main control box for the hall's audio and visual system is right through that door," Marcus pointed out in a low whisper.
"Julian, can you tap their live broadcast feed?" Arthur asked, turning to his son.
"I built the mansion's media network three years ago, Dad," Julian replied with a dangerous, quiet confidence.
"I can hijack every screen in this house and every live news broadcast in the country in less than thirty seconds," Julian added.
"Do it," Arthur commanded, his eyes fixed on Maria standing arrogantly on the stage below.
Down in the hall, the head legal counsel stepped up to the podium, tapping the microphone to gather the room's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, quiet please," the lawyer announced into the microphone.
"We are here tonight to witness Mrs. Maria Vance sign the final transfer of Vance Logistics following the tragic passing of Arthur Vance," the lawyer stated.
The crowd erupted into polite, solemn applause as Maria stepped gracefully up to the podium.
She picked up the golden fountain pen, hovering the nib just millimeter above the official signature line.
"Before I sign," Maria said into the microphone, forcing a tear to roll down her cheek.
"I want to dedicate this moment to my beloved husband, who gave everything to this family," she announced mournfully.
Suddenly, every bright chandelier in the grand hall violently flickered and plunged into pitch darkness.
The crowd gasped in sudden confusion as whispers flooded the cavernous room.
A second later, the massive forty-foot projector screen behind Maria burst to life with a blinding white light.
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A voice cut through the darkness over the hall's powerful surround-sound speakers—a voice that made Maria drop her golden pen onto the floor.
"If you loved me so much, Maria... why did you tape my mouth shut and lock me in the wall?"
