Chapter 4 - The Press Conference
The grand ballroom of the Four Seasons hotel was packed with hundreds of journalists, photographers, and television cameras. The air was thick with the scent of perfume and the relentless clicking of camera lenses. News of the "Vance Mansion Abuse Scandal" had already begun to leak on social media, trending globally as the public demanded answers.
I sat backstage, watching through a heavy curtain. My father stood at the podium, surrounded by a dozen microphones. He looked immaculate, but his expression was like granite.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press," Richard began, his voice booming through the sound system, commanding instant silence. "I called you here today not to defend my company, but to expose a cancer that has lived within my home. For the past three years, while I was traveling abroad, my wife, Evelyn Vance, and her daughter, Chloe, subjected my daughter, Maya, to systemic abuse, forced labor, and unlawful confinement."
A collective gasp echoed through the room. Photographers began snapping pictures frantically.
"Yesterday," Richard continued, gesturing to a massive projector screen behind him, "I received an extortion attempt from Evelyn’s legal counsel. They threatened to destroy my reputation with a fabricated video of my late wife if I did not drop the criminal charges. I refuse to comply with terrorists."
With a click of a button, Richard played the altered video Evelyn had sent. The journalists watched in shocked silence as the spliced footage played. Then, Richard clicked the remote again.
"This," Richard said, "is the unedited, original audio and video log recovered from the hospital's backup servers by the police department this morning."
The real video filled the screen. It showed the heartbreaking, tender reality of my mother’s final days. It showed Richard weeping, kissing her hand, and promising her that he would protect me with his life. It showed the profound love they shared, completely debunking the malicious edit.
"Evelyn Vance didn't just abuse my daughter," Richard said, his voice dropping to a terrifying, absolute tone. "She defiled the memory of my dead wife to protect her own greed. I am announcing today that the Vance Corporation is establishing a fifty-million-dollar foundation dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of victims of domestic abuse and hidden human trafficking. Furthermore, I am offering a one-million-dollar reward for any information regarding the offshore assets Evelyn has used to evade justice."
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Back in her luxury penthouse, watching the live broadcast, Evelyn watched as the news anchors began to openly denounce her. The public support she desperately sought had vanished in an instant. The comments sections on social media were filled with millions of people demanding she be put away forever.
But as the press conference ended, my father’s head head of security, Thomas, rushed backstage with a pale face. "Mr. Vance, we have a problem. Chloe has vanished from the penthouse, and the tracking device on Evelyn’s ankle monitor just went offline."
