Chapter 3 - THE FALL OF VICTORIA HALE
Victoria’s face turned the color of ash as the undeniable truth hung in the air.
"That's a lie!" Victoria screamed, completely losing her elegant composure in front of the wealthy crowd.
Richard pulled a small silver flash drive from his pocket and set it gently next to the letters.
"I have the security footage from the mailroom, the bank statements hiding the bribes, and a written confession from the guard."
He looked at Victoria with a level of utter disgust that made the surrounding executives physically recoil.
"You forged the payoff agreement to make my son believe the woman he loved had sold him out."
Ethan turned slowly to look at the woman he was supposed to marry in less than three months.
Victoria tried to reach for him again, tears of panic spilling down her perfectly contoured cheeks.
"Ethan, please, you have to understand," she begged, her voice shrill.
"She wasn't right for you, she was just a waitress, she would have ruined your reputation!"
Ethan grabbed his champagne glass from the table and hurled it violently against the brick pillar behind her.
The glass shattered into a thousand glittering pieces, causing several people in the restaurant to scream.
"She was my entire world!" Ethan roared, the sound tearing from his throat like a wounded animal.
He stepped into Victoria’s space, his towering frame radiating a terrifying, dark energy.
"You stole my child, you stole the woman I loved, and you stole seven years of my life."
He pointed a shaking finger toward the glass doors of the restaurant lobby.
"Get out of my sight before I have you thrown out into the street."
Victoria sobbed hysterically, looking around for help, but the room offered her nothing but cold, judging stares.
She gathered her expensive coat and stumbled toward the exit, completely humiliated and utterly destroyed.
Ethan stood there, his chest heaving, the crushing reality of his lost years crashing down on his shoulders.
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He slowly turned around to face Hannah, the anger draining out of him, leaving only unbearable guilt.
He fell to his knees right there in the middle of the dining room, ignoring the gasps from the crowd.
