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Lahat ng Kabanata ng A Single Slap Exposed a Billion-Dollar Inheritance: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

10 Kabanata

Chapter 1

The so-called "blacklisting" came even faster than I'd expected.Mia and I had barely stepped out of that gilded ballroom when her phone started buzzing like crazy.Notifications poured in nonstop, like a death knell drumming in her pocket.Mia glanced down at the screen. Her face went white, and the phone nearly slipped from her hand."It's over… Viv, it's really over this time."She held the screen up to me with shaking hands.It was their so-called "socialite circle" group chat. The admin was none other than Linda — the instructor in the Chanel suit with a face full of filler.Just one minute ago, Linda had posted an announcement to the entire group:"Members Mia Grant and Vivian Sinclair have been permanently expelled, effective immediately, for their frivolous attitudes and blatant disrespect for upper-class etiquette. We strongly advise all brand partners, PR firms, and gala organizers to reconsider any association with these two individuals."A flood of sycophantic replies follo

Chapter 2

The air seemed to freeze.The students around us had all stopped in their tracks, faces lit up with the thrill of watching a spectacle.Faye stood with her arms crossed, practically giddy at the thought of Mia actually going through with it.Mia was shaking all over. She looked at Linda, then back at me.Her eyes were full of conflict and terror.To her, this circle was everything.Being blacklisted meant all her effort had been for nothing. It meant crawling back to that rundown apartment and going back to a life with no future."Mia—"I started to speak, wanting to tell her she didn't have to be afraid.But Mia suddenly took a deep breath and stepped forward.She moved in front of me, shielding me, and bowed deeply toward Linda."Linda, I'm sorry. I was out of line."A smug smile curled across Linda's lips. "That's more like it. Smart girl. Now go ahead."Mia straightened up. Her eyes were red, her voice trembling — but absolutely resolute."No."The smile froze on Linda's face."Wha

Chapter 3

Mia didn't believe a word of it, of course.She figured I'd been so traumatized that I was hallucinating.When I dragged her into the luxury shopping district, she hunched her shoulders the entire way, terrified of running into someone she knew."Viv, let's just go. The salespeople here all know Linda — imagine how humiliating it'd be if they kicked us out…"Mia clutched the hem of my sleeve, her voice barely a whisper.I walked straight into a haute couture boutique.It was members-only. You couldn't even get through the door without an appointment.The security guard moved to stop me, but I flashed the black card.My grandfather had left it to me. Only ten existed worldwide — it wasn't just a bank card, it was a statement of identity.The guard froze, then did a complete one-eighty, bowing so low he nearly kissed the floor."Welcome, esteemed guest. Right this way."Mia's jaw dropped. "Viv, where did you get that fake ID made? It looks ridiculously real."I didn't explain. I just pul

Chapter 4

Mia floated out of the store like she was walking on clouds."Viv… am I dreaming?"She pinched herself hard and winced at the pain."Not a dream."I ushered her into the Rolls-Royce Phantom parked at the curb — the butler had just delivered it."This car… is yours too?" Mia ran her fingers across the starlight headliner, her voice trembling."Yeah, a hand-me-down from my grandfather," I said casually.It was actually a limited custom edition. Only three in the world.Mia took a deep breath, then turned to face me with a dead-serious expression."Vivian Sinclair. Be honest with me. Are you some billionaire's mistress? Because if you are, you have to tell me! I know you've got money now, but being a homewrecker never ends well!"I almost choked on my water."What are you even — I told you, it's an inheritance!"I tossed the probate documents into her lap.Mia flipped through them, her eyes growing wider with every line."Thousands… millions… billions… ten BILLION?!"She screamed and near

Chapter 5

The next evening. Summit Manor — the most exclusive private club in New York.Tonight was the annual Charity Elite Night.Everyone here was real money. Net worth starting at ten billion.Linda's so-called "finishing school" was really just a pipeline — funneling girls to these rich men as companions.She'd packaged herself as an etiquette coach and the girls as socialites, skimming massive commissions and tuition fees off the top.Tonight was her "graduation ceremony" — and her sales pitch.When Mia and I arrived, the entrance was already lined with luxury cars.Mia was wearing the haute couture gown from yesterday, her palms slick with nervous sweat."Viv, can we actually get in? I heard security tonight is insane — no invitation, you get tossed out on the spot.""Relax."I linked my arm through hers and walked toward the entrance.The security guards saw me and immediately bowed with respect."Ms. Sinclair, welcome."Mia stared at me in shock.I smiled. "Oh, I forgot to mention — Sum

Chapter 6

Linda's voice died in her throat as though someone had grabbed her by the neck.Briggs's hand froze mid-air against his cheek, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.The ballroom plunged into silence again — even deeper than when I'd slapped him.Mr. Hartford was the most powerful man in New York.And he'd just bowed to a girl in what they'd been calling a "no-name" dress?I gave a slight nod. "Mr. Hartford. It's been too long."Mr. Hartford straightened up and turned toward Linda and Briggs. The warmth vanished from his face, replaced by frost."Just now — who said they wanted to break Ms. Sinclair's hands?"His voice was quiet, but the authority behind it was absolute.Linda's legs gave out. She collapsed to the floor."I — I —" She couldn't form a single sentence.She couldn't fathom it. Yesterday, she'd been toying with a broke nobody. Today, that same nobody had Mr. Hartford bowing to her.Briggs had gone chalk-white, cold sweat dripping down his temples.He had money, sure

Chapter 7

What came next was straightforward.Attorney Whitfield walked in with the police.Linda was arrested on the spot — fraud, pimping, extortion, and a laundry list of other charges.A long prison sentence awaited her.As for Briggs, a single word from Mr. Hartford was all it took. Every business deal he had in this city was dead.Faye avoided prosecution, but her reputation was destroyed. She couldn't show her face in New York anymore. She slunk back to her hometown with nothing.After the gala, Mia and I sat on Summit Manor's terrace, gazing at the stars.Mia held a glass of champagne, still not fully processing everything."Viv… is all of this really happening?""It is."I clinked my glass against hers."So… does that make me a real socialite now?" Mia asked carefully.I looked into her eyes and smiled."Mia, a real lady of society isn't built on designer bags or fancy galas.""Then what?""Backbone."I nodded toward the woman who'd stood by me through the chaos just moments ago — spine

Chapter 8

I'd assumed that with Linda behind bars, the dust had settled.I'd underestimated human greed — and just how deep these waters ran.My first week running the family business was a disaster.The conglomerate my grandfather left behind was called Grandeur Group. Real estate, entertainment, finance — it had its fingers in everything.But the moment I sat down in the chairman's office, I realized this seemingly mighty empire was rotting from the inside.Several veteran board members had zero respect for the "little girl" who'd been dropped in from nowhere.Especially Victor Cross, the VP of finance.He was my grandfather's distant cousin, and he used that seniority to lord over everyone in the company."Ms. Sinclair, here's last quarter's financial report. Just sign it."Victor tossed a thick stack of documents on my desk without so much as a glance in my direction, then turned to leave."Stop."I flipped through the report. A few pages in, my brow furrowed."Mr. Cross, this thirty-million

Chapter 9

That threatening phone call only fueled my fire.If they were just greedy, I might have considered cleaning house the gentle way.But if they had blood on their hands, they'd get no mercy from me."Mia, we're working late tonight."I opened my laptop, my gaze sharpening."Doing what?""Auditing the books."Not just the books. I was going to dig up every medical record and schedule from my grandfather's final days.Over the next few days, Mia and I practically lived at the office.On the surface, I played docile — signing a few harmless documents Victor put in front of me, letting him think he'd won.Behind the scenes, I hacked into the company's financial backend.What I found was staggering.Over the past several years, Grandeur Group had funneled tens of billions through various pretexts into offshore accounts.Every trail led to the same place — a shadowy entity called Deep Blue Capital.And what shocked me even more: one of Deep Blue Capital's registered owners was… Faye Chambers.

Chapter 10

To keep Victor unsuspecting, I acted even more compliant in the days that followed.I even praised him publicly at an executive meeting — called him invaluable, suggested giving him a raise.Victor ate it up. The way he looked at me shifted from cautious to contemptuous.He probably assumed I'd been completely sidelined. A puppet with no strings of her own.What he didn't know was that I'd been in secret contact with Mr. Hartford and several of my grandfather's most trusted former lieutenants.I'd also had someone track down Faye.She hadn't actually gone back to her hometown. She'd taken hush money and was holed up in an underground casino, burning through it.When my security team dragged her in front of me, she was terrified out of her mind."Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I'll tell you everything!"I didn't even have to press her. She spilled it all.Linda had been the front. But Faye was Victor Cross's real mole inside the finishing school.Her job was to identify vain, easi

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