Chapter 10: The Fall of the Traitor

​When Evelyn returned to the head table, Lucian stood up immediately, taking her into his arms and scanning her face for any sign of distress.

​"What happened?" Lucian asked, his eyes burning with sharp concern as he noticed her slightly flushed cheeks.

​"I tripped in the hallway, Lucian," Evelyn whispered, leaning close to his ear. "I bumped into Director Harrison. He was very angry."

​Lucian’s jaw clenched, a dangerous, dark aura radiating from his body. "Did he touch you?"

​"No," Evelyn murmured, slipping her hand under the table and pressing the stolen USB flash drive directly into Lucian’s open palm.

​Lucian froze.

​His thumb brushed over the micro-drive, his heart doing a sudden, violent thud against his ribs. He looked down at Evelyn, his dark eyes wide with shock and absolute disbelief.

​"What is this?" Lucian whispered, his voice barely audible under the roar of the applause as Director Harrison took the stage at the front of the ballroom.

​"Harrison’s left pocket," Evelyn whispered into his ear, her voice dripping with sweet, lethal victory. "He was planning to use the podium projector to show leaked Cayman account files to the press in thirty seconds. That drive holds his actual correspondence with your rival company."

​Lucian stared at his blind bride, his mind racing at lightspeed.

​She swapped the drive? During a fake stumble?!

​Before Lucian could even process the terrifying brilliance of the woman sitting beside him, Director Harrison cleared his throat into the podium microphone, his voice echoing across the speaker system.

​"Ladies and gentlemen of the board, esteemed guests, and members of the press," Harrison announced, a triumphant, wicked grin on his face. "Tonight, before we toast to the Blackwood Group's quarterly profits, I have an urgent matter of national security to bring to light regarding CEO Lucian Blackwood."

​The ballroom grew instantly quiet. Reporters raised their cameras, their lenses focused on the stage.

​"Lucian Blackwood has been using shell companies to embezzle billions out of the capital!" Harrison shouted dramatically, pulling the dummy USB drive from his pocket and plugging it directly into the podium’s master digital projector. "And I have the proof right here on this server!"

​Harrison slammed the enter key on the podium console.

​The massive, eighty-foot LED screen behind the stage lit up in bright, high-definition resolution.

​The crowd gasped in absolute horror!

​Instead of financial leaks linking Lucian to embezzlement, the screen displayed Harrison’s private offshore banking records, encrypted emails detailing his sale of Blackwood trade secrets, and audio logs of Harrison admitting to poisoning the former Vance estate CEO!

​"If we kill old man Vance and frame the blind girl, Lucian's reputation will crumble!" Harrison’s recorded voice blasted through the ballroom's surround-sound speakers in crisp, undeniable clarity!

​Harrison’s face turned paper-white. His eyes bulged out of his head as he stared at the screen in pure, paralyzed terror. "W-What?! No! This is wrong! This isn't what was on the drive!"

​Panicked murmurs erupted through the crowd! Reporters began snapping photos frantically as the evidence of Harrison’s high treason broadcasted live across every financial network in the capital!

​Lucian stood up slowly from the head table, his towering figure exuding a terrifying, unstoppable authority. He signaled Marcus with a single wave of his hand.

​Six armed Blackwood security officers swarmed the stage, tackling Director Harrison to the floor and pinning his arms behind his back as he screamed hysterically!

​"Lucian! It's a setup! The blind girl did this! She's a demon! She touched me in the hallway!" Harrison shrieked as he was dragged off the stage, his mind completely broken.

​The entire room turned toward Lucian and Evelyn.

​Lucian didn't look at Harrison, nor did he look at the press. He stood beside Evelyn, looking down at her serene, breathtaking face with a mixture of raw awe, fierce pride, and terrifying obsession.

​He reached down, cupping her face in his broad hands, and brought his lips down onto hers in a deep, passionate, and possessive kiss right in front of every camera in the capital.

​The ballroom erupted into deafening applause and flashing lights!

​"You incredible, dangerous woman," Lucian growled against her lips, his pulse racing like a wild stallion as he pulled back to stare into her empty, beautiful eyes. "Who are you really, Evelyn Blackwood?"

​Evelyn smiled softly, leaning her forehead against his chest as she listened to his wild, galloping heartbeat.

​"I am just your blind bride, Lucian," she whispered sweet and clear. "And I hear everything."