Chapter 5 - THE NIGHT OF THE GALAThe gala began at seven.

By eight, the ballroom was glowing.

Crystal chandeliers.

White roses.

Champagne.

Cameras.

Hundreds of guests dressed in black tie and couture.

Ethan stood at the center of it all.

Perfect.

Untouchable.

Victoria stood beside him in a silver gown.

She looked like she had already won.

She hadn't seen me.

Not yet.

I waited outside the ballroom doors.

My lavender gown covered the cast almost completely.

But I wanted it visible.

I wanted everyone to see it.

A security guard approached.

"Ma'am, invitation?"

I handed him mine.

He looked at it.

Then looked at me.

His eyes widened.

"Ms. Vale?"

"Yes."

He stepped aside.

The doors opened.

Conversation died.

One person noticed me.

Then another.

Within seconds, hundreds of people were staring.

Ethan turned.

His smile disappeared.

Victoria followed his gaze.

Her face went white.

I walked into the ballroom.

Slowly.

Calmly.

My heels clicked against the marble floor.

The music continued for three more seconds.

Then stopped.

Ethan walked toward me.

"Emily."

I stopped.

"Beautiful party."

His jaw tightened.

"You weren't invited."

I held up the invitation.

"I was."

"Who sent that?"

"The foundation."

He glanced toward his assistant.

The assistant looked terrified.

Victoria stepped forward.

"What are you doing here?"

I looked at her.

"Attending."

"You need to leave."

"No."

Ethan lowered his voice.

"Don't make a scene."

I smiled.

"You already made one."

His eyes dropped to my cast.

"You don't belong here."

I leaned closer.

"You said that six days ago."

He froze.

Then the ballroom doors opened again.

Three federal agents entered.

Behind them came Claire.

Behind Claire came an independent financial examiner.

The room erupted in whispers.

Ethan stared.

"What is this?"

Claire raised a document.

"An emergency asset-preservation order."

Victoria's face collapsed.

"What?"

The examiner stepped forward.

"Effective immediately, certain assets associated with Vale Holdings and its controlled entities are frozen pending investigation."

Ethan turned toward me.

"You did this."

"No."

I looked at him.

"You did."

He stepped closer.

"You have no idea what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

Victoria began crying.

"This is insane."

Claire looked at her.

"Would you like us to discuss the $22 million transferred to Crane Strategic Consulting?"

Silence.

Every camera in the room turned toward Victoria.

Her mouth opened.

No words came out.

Ethan stared at her.

"Victoria?"

She looked at him.

"I can explain."

"Explain what?"

"The money."

"What money?"

I watched their relationship collapse in real time.

Victoria reached for his arm.

He pulled away.

"You told me those transfers were legitimate."

"They were."

"Then why are they being investigated?"

She had no answer.

One of the agents approached Ethan.

"Mr. Vale, you're not under arrest tonight."

Ethan exhaled.

"But you are required to surrender access to several corporate accounts."

His face hardened.

"On what grounds?"

The agent handed him the order.

Ethan read it.

His hands began to shake.

Then he looked at me.

"You think this means you've won?"

I said nothing.

He stepped closer.

"You have no idea how much money I've hidden."

I stared at him.

"Thank you."

His face changed.

"What?"

"For confirming there is more."

The agent immediately wrote something down.

Ethan realized his mistake.

Too late.

Victoria started screaming.

"This is all her fault!"

The ballroom erupted.

Guests backed away.

Phones came out.

Cameras flashed.

And then Claire whispered to me.

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

"The judge signed the final trust activation."

I looked at her.

"When?"

"Ten minutes ago."

She handed me the document.

I read the first line.

Control of the protected Vale estate is hereby transferred to Emily Bellamy Vale.

I looked across the ballroom.

Ethan was still holding the frozen-asset order.

He didn't know yet.

So I walked toward him.

"Remember when you told me I owned nothing?"

His eyes lifted.

"Emily..."

I held out the document.

"Read it."

He did.

His face went completely blank.

Victoria leaned over his shoulder.

Then she screamed.

"No."

I folded the document.

"The fortune you spent six years controlling?"

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