CHAPTER 4 — The Collapse of a Golden Son
The footage returned to live feed.
The ballroom was no longer silent.
It was divided.
Half the guests staring at Preston like he was a stranger.
The other half refusing to believe what they saw.
“This is edited,” Preston snapped. “She bribed someone—she always does this—she’s jealous of me—”
But his voice kept cracking in the wrong places.
His father stepped forward.
“Preston,” Richard said slowly, “did you touch that child’s pocket?”
A pause.
That pause answered everything.
Evelyn walked forward, Sophie still in her arms.
“You didn’t lose a phone,” she said. “You built a lie.”
Preston’s face tightened.
Something inside him snapped.
“I DID IT BECAUSE SHE WAS RUINING EVERYTHING!” he suddenly yelled.
May you like
The room exploded in gasps.
Even Madison stepped away completely.
