The Heiress's Revenge - A Bloody Affair - Chapter 41

[41 – The Veil of Truth]
After getting ready, Elijah and Mia drove to the venue where the press conference was going to be held. As the reporters were waiting at the front, both Elijah and Mia were give access to the secret backdoor that the hotel had for the exclusive and VVIP guests to avoid crowds and ensure privacy. The hotel’s staff greeted them warmly and escorted them through a series of corridors that led to a private elevator.

The said elevator only had one stop – the penthouse suite. It was where every member of the three families was. When Elijah and Mia walked inside they were greeted by happy faces. Marcus came forward and led him towards the bar, briefing about the do’s and do not’s regarding the press conference while Mia joined the ladies in the living room.

While everybody else chatted away, Ethan focused on his mobile game. He had already been instructed to act nicely, like the perfect gentleman that the world believed him to be before this scandal. Marcus had already warned him to not get involved with any other woman until his wedding.

Then there was Caroline who kept smiling as if nothing had happened this morning. Though she was still shaken up after seeing that bloody message on her washroom’s mirror but after years of pretending to be someone else and navigating through wealthy social circles, she had learnt to mask her true emotions and pretend to be act as if nothing was wrong.

Over the years she had learnt how to maintain her composure, to not let her true emotions reflect on her face. There were too many eyes on her, each trying to bring her down and take her position. Nothing is the world is more scarier that her loosing everything that she had worked so hard to achieve. That’s why even though she was scared as hell, she was still here, standing tall and unflinching.

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At the headquarters of the Grayson Group, Margaret was in the server room scrolling through the encrypted database. She had spent years working for the Grayson’s gaining their trust and climbing the corporate ladder within the company to be Elijah’s secretary. Her position provided her easy access to the inner workings of the company’s operations, a fact she had skillfully exploited for years.

Her eyes narrowed as she located the folder labeled “Project: Community Comfort Homes – Phase II”. She clicked open the folder, her breath catching as she scanned through the documents. The folder contained plans, budgets, and then, buried within the financial projections, she found what she had been searching for.

It was a detailed report from the Quality Assurance and Certification Agency that outlined the use of substandard construction materials for the Community Comfort Homes Project. Her eyes widened with a mix of horror and excitement, her hands trembling as she read the analysis and conclusion.

She was excited because she had found a major scoop that could put the Grayson Group in jeopardy. But she was absolutely horrified as she read that the construction materials that the Grayson company was using for the project was prone to rapid degradation, posing a severe risk to the structural integrity of the apartment buildings.

Quickly composing herself, Margaret plugged in her encrypted USB drive and initiated the download of the report. Her heartbeat raised as she watched the progress bar on the screen. Once the download was complete, Margaret ejected the drive and put it in her trousers’ pocket.

After her job was done, she quickly wiped off any traces that could lead up to her. Calming her racing heart, Margaret took a few deep breaths and masked her expressions. The evidence that she has gotten her hands on was enough to expose the Grayson’s and destroy their pseudo-philanthropist image that they have created for themselves.

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Meanwhile, back at the hotel where the press conference was happening, the Grayson and Sullivan family was seated at a long table with Ethan and Caroline seated in the middle while Marcus and William were seated beside them.

Marcus was the first one to speak. He addressed the assembled media with a confident and form voice, “Ladies and gentleman, we all have gathered here for one, and only one thing. Truth.”

“Recently, some scandalous and disgusting videos and photos have been circulating about my son Ethan and his fiancée Caroline. The past few days have been extremely difficult and tension filled for our families.” he sighed before continuing.

“People took our silence as our compliance. But that is not the truth.” commented Marcus and then William took over.

“We were only waiting for this forensics report.” as he talked about the report, the staff that they had hired began distributing the copies of the forensic report among the reporters and media executives present.

“This report has been verified by the most reputable forensic experts that reveal the truth that the photos and videos that have been circulating around are fabricated.” announced William and pointed towards the head of the forensics department who was also present at the conference.

The expert stepped forward to affirm Marcus and William’s statement, “What Mr. Grayson and Mr. Sullivan just said is true. We have tested all the images and videos that have been released in the media are indeed fake. Whoever is behind this has misused the advanced technology to tarnish the reputation of Mr. Ethan Grayson and Miss Caroline Sullivan.”

The media went into frenzy after the revelations and everybody started asking questions at once. It took them to some time It took them some time to regain composure and then they began answering their questions one by one. Marcus and William made another important announcement amidst the storm of flashing cameras and probing microphones.

William and Marcus stepped forward on the stage and gesture for Caroline and Ethan to join them. The young couple were made to stand in the middle with their Marcus and William on their side.

Marcus took the microphone and announced, “The last time we could not proceed with Ethan and Caroline’s engagement due to unjust circumstances. Whosoever was behind this disgusting act must have thought that they succeed in ruining the relationship between our children and our families but it is my absolute pleasure to let them no that this is not the case!”

William gestured his wife who took out two jewelry boxes from her purse, “We will proceed with Ethan and Caroline’s engagement as planned, and would get married within a month. 28th of January, 2024, mark the date.”

Marcus and William then put on a show of happiness and love, making Ethan and Caroline exchange rings right in front of the cameras. The audience burst into a loud applause except for Daniel Thompson.

Daniel watched the spectacle from side, trying his best to reign in the fury that he was experiencing at the moment. He had assumed that after revealing Ethan’s involvement in Caroline’s scandal, William would have a massive fight with Marcus and that it could delay Ethan and Caroline’s engagement for at least 3 months.

But now, that time has been reduced to 1 month. Daniel knew that time was running out. Once Caroline gets married to Ethan, she would be able to gain complete access of the fortune on her name and after one year of marriage, she would get the right to give others an access to that money. Others being, William and Marcus.

If that happens, Daniel was sure that he would be left with nothing. Determined to act fast, he decided to push Mia towards Elijah, hoping to get his daughter married to Marcus’s eldest son and the heir of the Grayson Group.

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Seraphina watched the whole conference unfold, enjoying it thoroughly. Marcus and William’s arrogant tone made her laugh harder because the more they boast about their “truth”, the more exciting it was going to be for her to expose their reality in front of the whole world.

It was especially laughable when Marcus was talking about his so called truth. The report that he showed everyone was obviously fake. Marcus bought that after bribing the head of forensics department but that’s fine. Seraphina had a master card in her hand to win a bigger battle than this.

Sighing, Seraphina turned off her laptop and concentrated on the outfit that she was sketching. She was about half way done when she received a message from Madison (Margaret).

‘I have got a big scoop for you.’ read the message. Madison had also sent a document along. Seraphina clicked it open and scanned through its contents. She reacted the same was as Madison had and replied back.

‘Are you okay?’ she had always been concerned for Madison’s safety, ‘Also, this is a perfect New Year’s gift, don’t you think?’

‘I am fine. Really. And, yes, it is.’ Madison replied back before sending another message, ‘Do you know who the raw materials provider is?’

‘Who?’ Seraphina typed in quickly and clicked on sent.

‘Thompson Industries. Both Daniel and Marcus and involved in this scan, I am not sure about William’s involvement though.’ responded Madison.

‘That’s okay. This is enough to shake their roots.’ Seraphina messaged in return.

She was sure that Elijah would definitely invite her on the New Year’s party that the Grayson family holds like a tradition to be followed. The event was perfect to mark her grand return in the lives of her enemies. It was time.