Chapter 9: The Boardroom Trap

​By 9:00 PM, the grand ballroom was alive with classical music, clinking champagne flutes, and low corporate chatter.

​Evelyn sat at the head table beside Lucian, sipping a glass of sparkling water. While Lucian engaged in brief, high-level discussions with visiting diplomats, Evelyn’s ears were mapped entirely to the far corner of the room, near the private VIP lounge.

​Harrison was standing near the velvet curtain, whispering frantically to the same rasping-voiced operative from the library.

​"She gave me a weird look!" Harrison hissed under his breath. "The blind girl! She mentioned my heart rate!"

​"You're losing your mind, Harrison," the operative spat back quietly. "She’s blind! She can’t see a damn thing! The board vote is scheduled in ten minutes. When the chairman calls for the opening remarks, step up to the podium and drop the leaked Cayman account documents."

​"Are you sure the press will publish instantly?"

​"The reporters in the balcony are already loaded on the press server," the operative assured him. "The moment you slide the flash drive into the podium's digital projector, Lucian's reputation is finished."

​In the main dining hall, Evelyn set her crystal glass down with a delicate clink.

​‘A flash drive in the podium’s digital projector,’ Evelyn noted, her mind instantly piecing together the exact mechanics of Harrison's attack. ‘He put the drive in his jacket pocket. Left side.’

​She turned her head toward Lucian, lightly tapping his sleeve.

​"Lucian?" she whispered softly.

​"What is it, love?" Lucian asked, instantly turning his full attention away from a billionaire investor to look down at her.

​"I... I feel a bit dizzy from the perfume in the room," Evelyn murmured, placing a trembling hand against her forehead. "Could you ask the waiter to bring me a cup of warm chamomile tea? The server near the VIP lounge said they had fresh mint earlier."

​"I'll have Marcus fetch it immediately," Lucian said, motioning to his chief guard.

​"No, please," Evelyn said, holding onto Lucian’s hand with an apologetic smile. "Marcus is keeping you safe. I just need a moment near the quiet side hallway to catch my breath. I can walk with the female attendant."

​Lucian hesitated, his protective instincts flaring, but seeing her pale face, he nodded. "Marcus, assign two female officers to escort her to the private lounge corridor. If anyone approaches her, clear the floor."

​"Yes, Sir."

​Evelyn stood up, allowing a female guard in a formal suit to gently guide her by the elbow toward the quiet VIP hallway away from the main ballroom noise.

​As they reached the secluded corridor near the podium control room, Evelyn stopped, pretending her heel had caught on her dress hem.

​"Oh! My shoe strap came undone," Evelyn gasped softly, leaning against the wall. "Could you check the hem for me, please?"

​The female guard immediately knelt down to check the crimson velvet skirt.

​In that brief three-second window, Harrison walked out of the VIP lounge, holding a glass of scotch, making his way toward the main stage podium.

​Evelyn acted instantly. She took a small, seemingly clumsy step forward, tripping over her own long train. "Ah!"

​She tumbled straight into Harrison!

​CLATTER!

​Harrison’s scotch spilled all over his expensive tuxedo jacket, and he stumbled backward into the wall. "What the hell—!"

​"I am so sorry! I am so sorry!" Evelyn cried out in breathless panic, flailing her hands helplessly as she grabbed onto his jacket lapels to 'steady' herself.

​To Harrison and the female guard, it was a pathetic, embarrassing accident caused by a blind girl who couldn't see where she was going.

​But in those two split seconds of frantic contact, Evelyn’s sharp, nimble fingers slipped into Harrison’s left jacket pocket, pinched the micro-encrypted USB flash drive, and swapped it with a identical dummy drive she had kept hidden in her palm!

​She pulled back instantly, trembling with tearful embarrassment. "I couldn't see... I lost my footing..."

​Harrison gritted his teeth, furious but trying to maintain his composure in front of Lucian’s personal guard. "Watch where you are going, girl!" he snarled, brushing his soaked jacket off. He reached into his left pocket, felt the shape of the USB drive she had just swapped in, and let out a sigh of relief, completely unaware it was a blank drive loaded with a corrupting virus.

​"Get her out of my sight," Harrison spat, turning on his heel and heading straight for the main ballroom stage.

​The female guard quickly helped Evelyn stand upright. "Are you alright, Mrs. Blackwood?"

​Evelyn straightened her crimson gown, wiping her tears away as a cold, brilliant glint flashed in her eyes. Slipping Harrison’s actual flash drive into her corset lining, she smiled softly.

​"I am fine," Evelyn whispered, her voice returning to a smooth, dangerous calm. "Take me back to my husband. The show is about to start."