Chapter 1 - The Five-Second Revelation
The high-resolution display of the smartwatch glinted under the crystal chandeliers.
Richard Vance stood frozen as the video playback ticked forward second by second.
Victoria’s face contorted from aristocratic arrogance into pure, unadulterated panic.
She lunged forward to smash the watch off the waitress's wrist.
Richard grabbed Victoria's wrist mid-air with a grip of solid iron.
"Touch her, Victoria, and I swear you won't leave this room freely," Richard growled, his voice trembling with betrayal.
The timer on the smartwatch reached the sixth second.
The camera angle on the screen shifted slightly as the waitress had hidden the body-cam behind her vest button.
A pair of manicured hands entered the frame.
The hands slipped a tiny, dark amber vial directly into Victoria's palm.
Richard’s breathing stopped completely.
He recognized those distinctive diamond cufflink patterns instantly.
They belonged to Julian Vance, his younger brother and chief legal counsel.
On the screen, Julian whispered into Victoria's ear before stepping back into the shadow of the velvet curtains.
"No, Richard, it's a deepfake!" Victoria screamed, her voice cracking in desperation.
"She altered the video to destroy our family!" Victoria shouted at the gathered high-society guests.
Richard slowly turned his gaze toward the back of the grand ballroom.
Julian was already retreating toward the private exit doors.
"Security, lock down every exit now!" Richard bellowed across the hall.
The security guards hesitated, caught between the conflicting commands of the Vance family leaders.
In that second of confusion, Julian slipped out into the pouring rain outside.
Eleanor, the blonde waitress, gasped as blood dripped from the scratch on her forehead.
"He has the real ledger in his car," Eleanor choked out, clutching her side.
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"If he reaches the dock, your entire empire dies tonight, Mr. Vance," she added.
Richard looked at the tearful, bleeding waitress and realized he had trusted the wrong viper for twenty years.
