Chapter 9 - THE UNMASKING GALA
The grand ballroom of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was filled with the elite of New York.
It was the annual Everest North America Gala—my public debut as the new queen of the industry.
I wore a dress made of dark,
shimmering silk,
the color of a midnight sky.
Around my neck was a diamond necklace that had once belonged to my mother,
a piece I had reclaimed from a pawn shop in Zurich three years ago.
I stood at the top of the marble staircase,
watching the sea of faces below.
They were all there.
The politicians,
the celebrities,
the titans of industry.
And in the corner,
standing near the bar,
was Victor.
He looked revitalized,
dressed in a tuxedo that hid the frailty of his age.
Beside him stood Julian Vane.
Julian was younger,
sharper,
with eyes like a shark and a smile that never reached them.
He looked up and saw me,
raising his glass in a silent toast.
I didn't acknowledge him.
I walked down the stairs,
the crowd parting like the Red Sea.
I could hear the whispers,
the sharp intakes of breath,
the clicking of cameras.
“Catherine,”
Julian said as I approached,
his voice a smooth,
cultured purr.
“You look...
triumphant.”
“I am,”
I said,
stopping a few feet away.
“Victor,”
I added,
nodding to my father.
“I’m surprised you could afford the ticket.”
My father’s jaw tightened,
but his smile remained in place for the cameras.
“Julian was kind enough to bring me as his guest,”
he said.
“He has a great interest in the future of Everest North America.”
“I’m sure he does,”
I replied,
my gaze shifting to Julian.
“But the future of Everest is not for sale.
Especially not to someone who is still paying off his father’s gambling debts to the Russian mob.”
The smile on Julian’s face faltered for a fraction of a second.
It was enough.
I had hit a nerve.
“You’ve grown bold,
Catherine,”
Julian said,
stepping closer until I could smell his expensive cologne.
“But boldness is not the same as power.
You think you own this company?
You own a shell.
A house of cards.”
“A house of cards that you’ve been trying to blow down for twenty years,”
I countered.
“I found the ledger,
Julian.
I know about the 1996 payoff.
I know about the 'Hollister Gene' fund.”
The air between us turned electric.
My father’s face went pale,
his hand gripping his cane so hard it shook.
“You don't know what you’re talking about,”
Victor hissed.
“I know enough to put both of you in a cage for the rest of your lives,”
I whispered,
leaning in so the microphones wouldn't catch my words.
“I’m giving you one chance.
Leave this city.
Give up your claims.
And I will let you live out your days in the obscurity you deserve.”
Julian laughed,
a cold,
empty sound.
“And if we don't?”
I smiled,
and it was the most dangerous thing I had ever done.
“Then I will release the documents tonight.
Not to the SEC.
Not to the police.
To the internet.
To the people you’ve spent your lives stepping on.”
I turned to the crowd,
raising my voice so it carried across the ballroom.
“Ladies and gentlemen,”
I announced,
my voice steady and clear.
“I want to thank you for joining us for this new chapter of Everest North America.
Tonight is not just about a rebranding.
It’s about the end of an era of secrets.”
I looked back at my father,
his eyes filled with a terror I had never seen before.
“The past is dead,”
I said.
“And I am the one who buried it.”
I walked away,
the applause erupting behind me.
I knew they wouldn't leave.
They were too proud,
too greedy,
too convinced of their own invincibility.
But as I walked out of the ballroom and into the cool night air,
I knew the countdown had started.
I had thrown the first stone.
May you like
Now,
I just had to wait for the avalanche.
