Chapter 5 - Unraveling the Empire
As the cold steel of the handcuffs clicked firmly around Victoria's wrists, the grand hall remained frozen. The suffocating arrogance that had ruled this high-society circle for decades crumbled into dust in a single evening.
Victoria kicked and shrieked hysterically as she was forcibly escorted down the long red carpet. Outside the venue, hundreds of news cameras and flashbulbs were already waiting in a feeding frenzy. The very media outlets she had personally paid millions to document her grand evening were now broadcasting her tearing dress, smeared makeup, and tear-streaked face live to tens of millions of viewers across the nation.
Inside, the remaining guests slowly turned back toward Eleanor.
Almost instantly, their fake, practiced smiles returned. They smoothed their tuxedos and silk dresses, preparing to bow down and kiss the ring of the city's newest, undisputed titan.
Men who had ignored the crying little girl earlier now fumbled through their pockets, trying to offer gold trinkets and diamond pins to her. Women who had smirked at her cheap dress now offered glowing, sugary compliments, pretending they had always admired Eleanor's family.
Eleanor raised one hand, stopping every single one of them in their tracks.
May you like
"Save your breath," Eleanor said, looking around the room with unbridled disgust. "Your silence tonight while a child was being hurt spoke louder than any words you could possibly say now. This entire high society isn't elite—it's just a room full of hollow, terrifying greed."
She turned away from their desperate offers, leaving them to grapple with the reality that their wealth could buy everything except honor.
