Chapter 5 - The Screen UnveiledThe room fell into a sudden, confused hush as I walked through the main aisle toward the stage.

I wasn't wearing an evening gown. I wasn't wearing jewelry.

I stood tall in my dusty-blue bikini, sand still clinging to my skin, the deep purple bruises on my shoulder, ribs, and face starkly visible under the bright crystal chandeliers.

Gasp rippled through the audience. Women covered their mouths, men turned in shock, and reporters raised their cameras, flashes strobing instantly across the room.

Diane Vance stood up from her chair, her face turning bright red with rage. “Security! Get that insane woman out of here! She’s crashing the party!”

Ethan froze at the podium, his face draining of color as he recognized me. “Maya...? What... what are you doing here?!”

I didn't answer him. I walked straight up the steps of the stage, my head held high, my posture unyielding.

Two security guards rushed toward the stage, but Arthur Hartwell raised his hand from the front table, his voice booming over the room:

“Let her speak!”

The guards stopped instantly.

I walked directly to the podium, pulled the microphone toward my mouth, and looked straight into Ethan’s trembling eyes.

“Ethan,” I said, my voice echoing clearly through the four-hundred-seat ballroom. “You told your mother I fell. You told your firm I was dramatic. You told your board I didn't belong in your world.”

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I pulled my smartphone from my leather holster and plugged it directly into the master AV feed on the podium console.

“Let’s show everyone what really happened on the private beach two weeks ago.”