The Man Behind the Curtain
Victor Blackwood went pale. He rose to his feet, his hand trembling as he reached for his glass. “You’re delusional, child. Nora, get her out of here!”
But Chloe pulled a legal document from her dress pocket — a document Victor had signed.
“You didn’t just steal my father’s music, Victor,” Chloe said, her voice filling the silent ballroom. “You stole his life.”
Nora stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. “He framed Elias for embezzlement to push him out of the company. Elias didn’t disappear because he wanted to — he disappeared because Victor’s security team threatened to kill us if he ever came back.”
The room descended into chaos. Journalists at the back were typing furiously. On phones throughout the crowd, Victor’s stock price was already falling in real time.
“You’re a fraud!” Chloe cried. “And everyone here is about to know it!”
Victor lunged toward her, but he stumbled over his own feet and fell face-first onto the stage. As he scrambled up, he screamed, “I’ll kill you for this! I’ll destroy you both!”
But the police had already come through the doors. They were not there for the girl. They were there for the billionaire.
