Chapter 5 - A Mother’s Mask Cracks
Victoria took three rapid steps toward me, her eyes bloodshot, her face contorted into a mask of pure venom. For a split second, I saw the woman who had locked me in dark rooms as a child, the woman who had torn up my college acceptance letters because she claimed I was needed at home to serve her.
"You ungrateful little parasite!" she spat, lunging at me with her hands clawed. "I gave you a roof over your head! I kept you alive!"
Before she could lay a finger on me, two towering security guards stepped smoothly in front of her, blocking her path with crossed arms.
"Step back, ma'am," one of them warned, his tone flat and unyielding.
"Don't touch me! Do you know who I am?" Victoria screeched, thrashing against their grip. "Get your filthy hands off me!"
"We know exactly who you are, Mrs. Vance," the guard replied coldly. "You are an uninvited trespasser on private property. The rental contract for this ballroom is under Clara Vance and Daniel Montgomery's names. You are officially being removed."
Lila tried to slip past the commotion toward the side exit, trying to shield her face from the cameras flashing in the back. But two female security officers politely intercepted her.
"Miss Lila Vance? The local precinct requested you wait outside. There is a matter regarding corporate identity theft and illegal fund transfers that requires your immediate statement."
Lila’s knees buckled. "What? No! I didn't do anything! It was all my mother! She told me what to sign! She forced me!"
Victoria whipped around, staring at her beloved stepdaughter in shock. "Lila! How dare you!"
"It’s true!" Lila sobbed, pointing a shaking finger at Victoria. "She made me put my name on the offshore accounts so the taxes wouldn't trace back to her! She said if anything went wrong, Clara would take the fall! She ruined my life!"
The crowd watched in stunned silence as the two women began shouting at each other, tearing apart their fragile alliance right on the aisle carpet. All the years of fake harmony, all the choreographed family photos, all the calculated social status vanished in seconds, revealing the hollow, rotten core of their relationship.
"Escort them out," Daniel commanded quietly.
The guards firmly took Victoria and Lila by their elbows and marched them down the center aisle, past the rows of guests who pulled back their chairs to avoid brushing against them. Victoria struggled the entire way, screaming curses and threats, while Lila wept uncontrollably, covering her mascara-streaked face.
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As the heavy oak doors of the ballroom slammed shut behind them, an eerie stillness descended upon the grand hall.
The air felt lighter, as if a toxic cloud had finally drifted away.
