Chapter 8 - The Sound of Truth
The massive surround-sound speakers of the Plaza Hotel ballroom burst to life.
Chloe’s voice—loud, sharp, and unmistakable—echoed through the massive room with terrifying clarity:
“Wipe the counter again, old woman! You missed a spot! Move faster! Speak less! Know your place!”
The crowd gasps were loud, unanimous, and filled with horror. Society women held their hands over their mouths; business executives stared at Chloe in utter disbelief.
Chloe stood on stage, her body trembling violently, her face drained of all color as her own cruel words filled the hall.
The recording played on:
“People like you should be grateful people like me let you indoors! Get on your knees right now and scrub this floor with your bare hands!”
Then came my voice from the recording: “I refuse.”
Then, the loud, sickening sound of sloshing water hitting marble, followed by a heavy splash.
And finally, Chloe’s musical, mocking laugh booming over the speakers:
“You look disgusting! Someone needed to wash the filth off you! Maybe now you’ll learn to follow orders!”
CLICK.
The audio ended.
The ballroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop onto the carpet. Three hundred pairs of eyes shifted from the stage screen directly onto Chloe Montgomery.
The polished, elegant socialite princess had just been exposed as a sadistic, cruel bully before the entire elite society of the state.
"That... that's fake!" Chloe shrieked, her voice frantic, completely losing her composure as she pointed a trembling finger at me. "It's AI! It's edited! I never said those things! She set me up!"
"It is not fake, Chloe," Julian spoke directly into the microphone, his voice ringing with absolute, crushing authority. "I arrived at the bottom of the stairs three seconds after you dumped that water. I saw my mother standing in dirty mop water. I saw you laughing."
Julian pulled the heavy diamond engagement ring box from his jacket pocket. He opened it, revealing the sparkling multi-carat diamond ring.
He didn't hand it to her. He walked to the edge of the stage and dropped the ring box directly into a nearby champagne bucket filled with melting ice water.
"The wedding is cancelled," Julian declared, his voice echoing across the silent room. "And effective immediately, Vance Enterprises is terminating all commercial contracts with Montgomery Logistics under the moral turpitude clause."
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Arthur Montgomery looked as if he were having a heart attack. He stumbled back against the podium, clutching his chest. "Julian! No! You can't do this! My company will go bankrupt!"
"You threatened to destroy my family's reputation, Arthur," I said, stepping closer to him, looking him straight in his panicked eyes. "You should have taught your daughter how to respect human beings before trying to trade her for corporate power."
