Chapter 5

Scarlett POV:

I watched as Lily preened on stage, her hand on the priceless bottle, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. She was looking right at me. Julian stood beside her, the proud king presenting his chosen queen. The humiliation was a physical thing, a hot wave that threatened to drown me. They were declaring to the world that I was being replaced.

But my father taught me that a cornered O'Hara doesn't cower. She attacks.

With Carter's steadying hand on my back, I walked calmly to the stage, taking the spare microphone from the podium. The room fell silent.

"A beautiful sentiment, Julian," I said, my voice cool and clear, amplified throughout the ballroom. "It's wonderful to see such... passion."

Lily's smile faltered. Julian's expression hardened.

"However," I continued, turning to address the stunned crowd, "before we celebrate the future, we must ensure the present is in order. As the sole legal heir and majority shareholder of O'Hara Vineyards, a title that becomes fully mine on my 21st birthday next month, I have a responsibility to our legacy."

I paused, letting the weight of my words sink in. "Which is why I've initiated a full-scale internal audit of the estate's finances. And the preliminary findings are... alarming."

Julian's face went white.

"Due to evidence of gross mismanagement and the misappropriation of company funds," I announced, my voice ringing with authority, "I have instructed our financial manager to place an immediate and total freeze on all non-essential estate expenditures. Effective right now."

I smiled sweetly. "That includes, I'm afraid, the final payment for this lovely gala."

The effect was instantaneous. The head of the catering company, who was standing near the back, began furiously whispering into his phone. The band leader lowered his baton, a look of panic on his face. The whispers in the crowd turned into a roar of chaotic speculation.

Julian and Lily were still on stage, frozen in their moment of triumph, which had just curdled into a public relations nightmare. They were the hosts of a lavish party they suddenly couldn't pay for.

Then, Carter Grayson materialized beside me, taking the microphone. "Not to worry, everyone," he said, his voice a smooth baritone. "The Grayson family would be honored to settle the bill for tonight's festivities. Consider it an early wedding gift."

He took my hand, raised it to his lips, and looked directly at Julian. "To my future bride, Scarlett O'Hara."

The humiliation was now theirs. They stood on that stage, not as the future of the vineyard, but as charity cases, their power exposed as an illusion. My power, however, was just beginning to show.