Chapter 4: The Sound of Sins<\/p>\n
The Vance Centennial Gala was the crown jewel of Chicago\u2019s high society. The Ritz-Carlton ballroom smelled of expensive champagne, roasted truffles, and cheap morals.
\nI arrived unannounced. I wore a backless, crimson-red gown that clung to me like a second skin\u2014the exact shade of the blood I had spilled on their Persian rug. The room fell into a stunned silence as I walked in. I was supposed to be dead, or at least bedridden.
\nFlynn looked like he had seen a ghost. He was pale, sweating under the chandeliers. Fiona, dressed in immaculate mourning black, gripped her champagne flute until her knuckles turned white.
\nAnd then there was Selina, wearing an ethereal white gown, clinging to Flynn\u2019s arm.
\nI didn\u2019t cause a scene. I simply walked past them, leaning in to whisper in Selina\u2019s ear. \u201cI found Richard\u2019s wire transfers, Selina. I\u2019m going to the FBI tomorrow. Unless you want to negotiate a buyout. Meet me in the VIP lounge in five minutes. Alone.\u201d
\nGreed and arrogance are a fatal combination. Five minutes later, she strutted into the soundproof VIP room, locking the door behind her.
\n\u201cYou have no proof of anything, Mabel,\u201d Selina sneered, pouring herself a drink. \u201cYou\u2019re a dead woman walking.\u201d
\nI sat in an armchair, crossing my legs. I reached into my clutch and subtly flipped a switch on a small, modified transmitter Phoebe had built. It overrode the hotel\u2019s AV system.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t need proof to ruin you in the press,\u201d I countered smoothly. \u201cTell me, Selina. Was it hard? Faking the tears? Convincing Flynn to ruin his life?\u201d
\nShe laughed, a sharp, ugly sound. \u201cHard? Flynn is a pathetic, emotional cripple. I scratched myself with a letter opener, cried a little, and he turned into a rabid dog. It was pathetic.\u201d
\n\u201cHe stabbed me twice,\u201d I said softly, ensuring the microphone caught every syllable.
\n\u201cAnd I watched him do it,\u201d she smirked, stepping closer. \u201cYou think you\u2019re so smart, Mabel. But you lost. You lost your husband, your dignity, and those two little parasites growing inside you. Good riddance to the twins, honestly. They would have just complicated the inheritance.\u201d
\nI stood up. I didn\u2019t look angry. I looked at her with pure, unadulterated pity.
\n\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have said that, Selina.\u201d
\nI turned the knob and threw the VIP doors open.
\nThe grand ballroom outside was completely, horrifyingly silent. Hundreds of the city\u2019s elite stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock. The orchestra had stopped.
\nSelina\u2019s voice was still echoing off the gold-leafed ceilings, broadcast through the massive surround-sound speakers.
\n\u201c\u2026Good riddance to the twins, honestly. They would have just complicated the inheritance.\u201d
\nFlynn was standing in the center of the room. He wasn\u2019t looking at me. He was staring at Selina, his face contorted in a mask of pure, shattered agony. He realized, in front of the entire world, that he had murdered his own unborn children for a lie.
\nThe heavy mahogany doors of the ballroom burst open. FBI agents, coordinated by Phoebe, flooded the room. They bypassed the screaming elite, slammed Selina onto the marble floor, and cuffed her. Fiona tried to slip away, but agents blocked all exits.
\nIn the chaos, I walked up to Flynn. He fell to his knees before me, weeping hysterically, reaching out for my dress.
\nI stepped back, out of his reach. I dropped a heavy, brass key onto the floor in front of him.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s over, Flynn. Go to this address. Consider it my final gift to you.\u201d
\nI turned my back on the ruins of the Vance empire and walked out into the cool night air. My phone vibrated in my hand.
\n\u201cYou play a loud game, little girl,\u201d a raspy, sophisticated voice purred. Hector Cole. \u201cBut you missed a spot. I have your friend Phoebe. Bring the trust ledger to the South Side rail yards in one hour, or I\u2019ll send her back to you in pieces.\u201d
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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