Chapter 5

The moment the video started playing, it felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the ballroom. A deathly silence fell over the billionaires and socialites.

On the massive screen, Kendal was walking right behind the two men. She wasn't trying to stop them. She was looking around nervously, waving her hands, directing them to move faster.

The footage then cut to a different angle. It clearly showed Kendal shoving a heavily intoxicated, unidentified man into the exact same suite. Then, she reached out and locked the door from the outside.

The three-minute silent video acted like a surgical blade, slicing the Lee family's glamorous reputation into bloody ribbons.

Beatrice gasped for air, her hands clutching her throat. Her private doctor rushed forward, shoving a nitroglycerin pill under the old woman's tongue.

Preston lost his mind. He ran toward the projector, throwing his body in front of the lens in a pathetic attempt to block the light. The video simply projected onto his expensive suit, making him look utterly ridiculous.

The reporters surged forward, shoving their microphones practically into Kendal's mouth.

"Miss Lee! Why did you lock your own cousin in that room?"

"Does this mean the Hammond cheating scandal was entirely fabricated by you?"

Kendal dropped to her knees. She pressed her hands over her ears and screamed, a raw, desperate sound. Her perfectly pinned hair unraveled, falling around her face like a madwoman's.

Up on the balcony, Alyse lowered the microphone. There was no wild joy of revenge in her eyes. There was only the extreme, hollow calmness of someone who had survived hell.

She knew this video didn't just destroy Kendal. It permanently severed the last drop of blood tying her to the Lee family.

Down below, Godfrey stared at the screen. He watched the men drag Alyse's unconscious body across the carpet.

His heart felt like it was being crushed inside a vice.

The guilt and agony hit him like a tidal wave, drowning him. He hated himself. He hated that he had been so blind, so arrogant, that he hadn't even bothered to investigate for five minutes.

Suddenly, Godfrey snapped. He violently shoved a reporter out of his way and sprinted toward the spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

A Lee family bodyguard stepped in front of him. Godfrey didn't even slow down. He threw a brutal punch, his fist connecting with the guard's jaw with a sickening crack. The man dropped to the floor.

"Get out of my way!" Godfrey roared. His voice shook the walls. He took the carpeted stairs three at a time, moving like a rabid animal.

Alyse watched him charge up the stairs. A flash of deep disgust crossed her eyes. She turned around, preparing to leave the mess behind.

Just then, the main doors of the ballroom were thrown open with a massive crash.

A squad of fully armed NYPD officers marched into the room. They had received an anonymous, heavily encrypted dossier of evidence earlier that evening, and the sudden viral explosion of the video gave them the exact probable cause they needed to intervene.

The lead detective held up his badge, his voice cutting through the panic. "Kendal Lee! We've received credible evidence regarding your involvement in unlawful imprisonment and drugging. You are being brought in for immediate questioning."

The cold, metallic click of handcuffs echoed loudly as they locked around Kendal's thin wrists. She thrashed wildly, sobbing and begging her parents for help.

Marlene threw herself at the officers, trying to pull them off her daughter. Two female cops grabbed her arms and shoved her back without hesitation. Marlene could only watch as Kendal was dragged toward the exit.

The flashing lights of the cameras turned the room into daylight.

In the corner, the Lee family's PR director was sweating through his shirt, screaming into his phone, trying to kill the story.

But it was useless. Every major media platform in the country had been hijacked. The video was force-pinned to the top of every feed.

It was Alyse's secondary strike as Briar. She was going to make sure the Lee family burned in the sunlight.

Godfrey finally reached the top of the balcony.

It was empty.

He spun around frantically. His sharp eyes caught the flutter of a black dress disappearing around the corner at the end of the long hallway.

"Alyse!" Godfrey screamed. The name tore his throat apart. He sprinted down the hall.

The corridor was empty. The only sound was his heavy breathing and the slow hiss of the heavy metal fire exit door closing shut.