Chapter 55: Mastermind
The large screen in the hall flickered to life. The crowd turned, their attention drawn to the sudden movement. The screen displayed a grainy but unmistakable video: Lucy, standing in a dimly lit room, surrounded by men in masks. They were dragging a half-conscious Bruce into the room, his body limp and unresponsive. The footage was damning, and there was no denying what it showed.
The room erupted into chaos. Gasps and shouts filled the air as the crowd turned on Lucy, their accusations now directed at her. She stood frozen, her face pale, her carefully constructed facade crumbling around her. The Shepherd brothers had paid their debt, and they had done so in the most public way possible.
Louisa, still trembling, looked at Lucy with a mixture of relief and vindication. The truth was out, and there was no escaping it. The mastermind had been unmasked, and the crowd, once so eager to condemn, now turned their fury on the real culprit.
Ethan looked up at the screen, his eyes wide with shock. Celeb, too, seemed stunned, his mind racing to process what he was seeing. The room was a whirlwind of emotion, but one thing was clear: the game was over, and Lucy had lost.
Louisa stood in the corner of the room, her shoulders shaking as silent tears streamed down her face. Her life, her reputation—everything she had worked for—was in ruins. She had trusted Lucy, had believed in her, and for what? To be thrown under the bus the moment things went south.
The weight of her choices pressed down on her, suffocating her. She knew she would be fired. With a scandal like this, no law firm would ever hire her again. She had gambled everything on Lucy’s promises, and now she had nothing left.
Ethan, meanwhile, was a storm of emotions. His fury burned white-hot as the realization hit him: Lucy had orchestrated this entire mess. His eyes scanned the room frantically, searching for Mara, but she was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of guilt and desperation clawing at him. He had to find her.
As the crowd began to disperse, the party dissolving into whispers and sidelong glances, Lucy approached Ethan. Her face was streaked with tears, her usual composure shattered. "Ethan, please," she begged, her voice trembling. "Let’s talk. I can explain."
Ethan turned to her, his expression cold and unyielding. "I can’t deal with you right now, Lucy. Just leave."