Chapter 14 - THE DEAD SPEAK
Panic erupted across the ballroom like a flash flood. Journalists scrambled forward, flashbowls popping as photographers desperately captured images of the ghost standing above them.
"She's an impostor!" Marcus screamed, his face turning pale and slick with sweat. "Guards, shoot her! Seize the room!"
"I am no impostor, Marcus!" Elena’s voice echoed powerfully across the hall. "I am Elena Sterling! Twelve years ago, you attempted to drown me in the river because I found the forged deeds proving you stole the Vance mining lands!"
"Liars! Delusional lies!" Marcus yelled, reaching inside his coat for his pocket revolver.
"Then explain this, Marcus!"
A tall man stepped out from the side shadows, throwing off his server's vest to reveal a dark tailored suit. He walked calmly up the stairs of the dais, throwing a thick leather-bound bundle of yellowed documents onto the center table, right in front of the newspaper editors.
"Arthur Vance?!" someone in the crowd shrieked in horror.
"Impossible..." Herr Richter stumbled backward, knocking his chair over. "Vance died in a car crash last year!"
"I survived the crash your men arranged, Marcus," Arthur said, his voice cold, steady, and carrying the iron weight of absolute truth. "And here are the original, un-redacted land deeds bearing my father Thomas Vance's stolen signature—along with the bank statements proving Astraea Holdings is nothing more than your private offshore laundering account!"
The lead newspaper editor grabbed the yellowed documents from the table, flipping through the pages in disbelief. "These are authentic Provincial Land seals! The signatures match!"
Marcus’s eyes darted frantically around the room. He pulled a silver revolver from his waistcoat, pointing it directly at Arthur's chest. "Quiet! All of you, shut your mouths!"
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Women screamed and guests scrambled backward, knocking over tables and champagne glasses in a desperate rush to reach the exit doors.
"It's over, Marcus," I said quietly, stepping in front of Arthur, looking the monster directly in the eye. "The press has the documents. The entire city is watching you."
