Chapter 115
Chapter 115:
“Help!” Seraphina screamed. She threw herself onto the floor, clutching the torn bodice to her chest. “He’s attacking me! Ethan is attacking me p>
The fight stopped.
Liam froze, his hand on his bruising jaw. He struggled to push himself up, his cane skidding out of reach. He looked down at Seraphina, who was weeping on the floor, her dress torn, pointing a trembling finger at Ethan.
“He tried to rip it off me!” she wailed.
The room went deadly silent. The accusation was serious. Assault. Attempted sexual violence. It was a career-ender. It was a prison sentence.
Ethan stood there, breathing hard, his knuckles bloody. He looked stunned. “I didn’t touch her p>
“Liar!” Seraphina screamed. “Liam, look what he did p>
Liam looked at Ethan, a dark fury rising in his eyes. He didn’t care about the dress anymore. This was his woman on the floor, assaulted by his rival.
“You crossed the line,” Liam growled, using a nearby table to haul himself upright.
Skye stepped between them. She held up a hand to Liam’s chest.
“Stop,” she said. “Look at her hands, Liam. Look at the angle of the tear p>
“She’s traumatized!” Liam shouted. “Get out of my way, Skye p>
Sirens could be heard approaching the hotel. The police were coming.
Suddenly, the massive projection screen behind the stage—usually reserved for donor names—flickered. The charity logo disappeared.
A grainy, black-and-white video feed appeared. It was high-angle security camera footage.
A calm, mechanical voice echoed over the PA system. “If everyone could direct their attention to the screen p>
Everyone turned.
On the screen, the video played. It showed the last thirty seconds in high definition. It showed Liam shoving Ethan. It showed Ethan punching Liam.
𝗢𝘯𝗅у 𝘤𝗼𝗺p𝗅e𝘁еd 𝘯𝘰𝘃𝘦ls оո 𝖻𝗲l𝗻𝗈𝗏е𝘭ѕ.с𝗼m
And then, in crystal-clear detail, it showed Seraphina Miller standing alone, five feet away from the men. It showed her looking around, grabbing her own strap, and ripping it violently before throwing herself to the ground.
The gasp that swept through the room sucked all the oxygen out of the air.
Seraphina stopped crying instantly. She looked up at the screen, her face draining of all color until she looked like a corpse.
At the entrance of the ballroom, Julian Vance stood leaning against the doorframe. He looked paler than usual, his breathing shallow, but his eyes were sharp and alert. Beside him stood a lawyer and the hotel’s head of security.
Julian didn’t smile. He just watched.
Liam stared at the screen. He watched the loop repeat. Seraphina ripping her own dress. Seraphina faking the assault.
He looked down at her. She was reaching for his pant leg.
“Liam… it’s a deepfake,” she whispered desperately. “They hacked it p>
Liam stepped back. He stepped back so quickly he almost lost his balance again. The disgust on his face was total. It wasn’t just anger; it was repulsion.