Chapter 3 - THE UNRAVELING
Marissa didn't yell. She didn't throw a fit or shed a tear. Instead, a terrifying calmness settled over her face—a calculation that had been months in the making.
"You think this is about a watch, Gareth?" Marissa asked softly. Her voice carried an ominous weight that made Gareth's confident posture falter slightly.
"It's about honesty!" Gareth barked, though his eyes darted toward his mother, seeking reassurance. "She took it from my dressing room! I found it near her chair!"
"You found it near her chair because you put it there," Marissa stated coldly.
The room went dead silent. Even the hushed whispers at the back tables evaporated into thin air.
Eleanor gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. "Marissa! How dare you accuse your brother of such a disgusting act! He is getting married today!"
"He was getting married today," Marissa corrected seamlessly.
With her left hand, Marissa reached into the small navy clutch she carried. Her fingers wrapped around a sleek, black metallic device—a heavy-duty wireless remote control connected directly to the venue's master AV network. She had spent weeks ensuring her access to the system, knowing that power in this family was never given; it was taken through leverage.
Gareth’s eyes tracked her hand, widening slightly as he recognized the device. A flicker of genuine panic flashed across his features, replacing the manufactured rage. "What are you doing? Put that away!"
"You've always been sloppy, Gareth," Marissa said, her thumb hovering over the central execution button. "You thought because you owned the security firm hired for this venue, you controlled the feeds. You forgot that I hired the engineers who installed the firmware."
"Marissa, don't!" Eleanor shrieked, reaching out to grab the remote.
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Marissa pivoted cleanly, stepping out of her mother’s reach while keeping Lily firmly behind her. She looked directly into the lens of the primary videographer’s camera, which was currently recording every second of the confrontation for the live feed displayed on the ballroom's massive projection screens.
"Let's see what really happened fifteen minutes ago in the waiting lounge," Marissa announced, pressing the button down firmly.
