Chapter 4 - The Projection
The entire ballroom froze.
On the massive twenty-foot screen, the Monarch Penthouse came into sharp, undeniable focus. The camera angle captured the private balcony, the bottle of champagne, the anniversary flowers, and the cream envelope addressed in Evelyn’s handwriting.
And right in the center of the frame stood Grant Whitmore, barefoot in his white linen shirt, his hands wrapped around Sienna Blake’s waist as she kissed his ear.
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
On stage, Grant’s face drained of all color. He froze mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open, staring at the screen in absolute horror. He hammered frantically on his remote, trying to change the slide, but the remote clicked uselessly in his paralyzed hand.
From the front row, Patricia Whitmore shrieked, standing up so fast her chair screeched against the hardwood floor. "Turn that off! That's a glitch! A hack!"
Douglas Whitmore slammed his fist on the armrest, his face turning purple. "Grant! What is the meaning of this?"
Sienna bolted from the side wings, her face pale with panic. "It’s fake! AI! It’s deepfake technology!"
Evelyn rose slowly from her seat. She didn't raise her voice, but the acoustic resonance of the ballroom carried her every word to every corner of the room.
"It is not AI, Sienna," Evelyn said, her voice cutting through the rising chaos like glass. "That is room 502—the Monarch Penthouse. The reservation was booked under your corporate access card. The champagne was uncorked four hours before my husband claimed he was 'stuck on a board call in San Francisco.'"
Whispers exploded across the room. Several major investors—men who controlled millions in venture capital—instantly crossed their arms, their expressions turning icy.
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Grant stumbled backward toward the podium, sweating profusely, staring at his wife as if she were a ghost. "Evelyn... baby... please. Let me explain. It’s not what it looks like—"
"Shut up, Grant," Evelyn said softly. "You told your parents I was fragile and limited. You told your investors you built this brand on trust and integrity. But a man who cannot honor the vows in his own bedroom cannot be trusted with a multi-million-dollar enterprise."
