CHAPTER 7
"Emma?!" Margaret shrieked from the VIP table, standing up so fast her chair crashed backward onto the carpet, spilling red wine over her diamond gown.
I didn't answer her. I walked purposefully toward the main stage, my steps firm, confident, and utterly unshakeable under the blinding glare of the event spotlights.
"What is the meaning of this intrusion?!" Daniel shouted into the screeching microphone, his face turning a deep, blotchy red as sweat broke out across his forehead. "Security! Remove these people immediately!"
Two hotel security guards moved toward us, but Agent David Vance stepped forward, displaying his federal badge and a signed warrant.
"Federal agents! Nobody move!" Agent Vance announced, his voice echoing off the high ceilings like thunder.
Arthur Pendelton walked up the stage stairs, holding a portable tablet device that connected wirelessly to the ballroom's massive presentation screens.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Arthur spoke clearly into a secondary microphone, "before Dr. Vance accepts his award, we believe the board should review his latest medical research."
With a single tap on Arthur's tablet, the giant presentation screens above the stage flickered to life.
Instead of promotional slides for maternal healthcare, the high-definition screens displayed the 4K security video from Dr. Morgan's clinic showing Margaret holding the silver goblet with the milky chemical residue.
Immediately following the video, the screen displayed the live wiretap audio transcripts, complete with red-highlighted text mapping out Daniel’s plan to murder me on the operating table.
A wave of loud, horrifying gasps erupted from the five hundred high-society guests as reporters frantically raised their cameras to record the unbelievable exposure.
"That's a fake!" Daniel roared, dropping his microphone and lunging toward Arthur on the stage. "She's insane! She's suffering from pregnancy-induced psychosis!"
May you like
"The forensic toxicology reports bear the official seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Dr. Vance," Dr. Morgan declared firmly from the foot of the stage. "You systematically poisoned your wife with high-grade paralytics for eighteen months."
Margaret let out a sharp, pathetic scream, attempting to scramble toward the rear service exit, but two female federal agents instantly blocked her path, grabbing her arms firmly.
