CHAPTER 3 — THE FALL OF THE EMPIRE
The chaos lasted only a few minutes.
Then my father raised his hand.
The room became silent.
"Everyone will remain here until authorities arrive."
The guests stared at him.
"You can't imprison us!"
One businessman shouted.
My father calmly replied.
"No."
A pause.
"You imprisoned yourselves."
Nobody spoke.
Because they knew.
Every person in that room had made a choice.
They watched cruelty happen.
And they chose comfort over justice.
I turned toward the man who attacked me.
His confidence was gone.
The arrogant smile.
The careless attitude.
Everything disappeared.
"What did I ever do to you?" he asked quietly.
I looked at him.
"You don't remember?"
He frowned.
I stepped closer.
"Three years ago."
"You destroyed a company."
"You ruined hundreds of families."
"My father's business."
His eyes widened.
"That was you?"
I nodded.
"You thought we disappeared."
"You thought nobody would come back."
A cold silence filled the room.
"But my father spent years rebuilding."
"And I spent years collecting evidence."
The doors finally opened.
Police officers entered.
The attacker looked at me one last time.
"You planned all this?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"I planned justice."
They escorted him away.
But before he left, he stopped.
"Why tonight?"
I looked at the broken champagne glasses on the floor.
"Because you made one mistake."
He waited.
"You hurt me in a room full of people."
I looked at every guest.
"And you gave everyone a chance to choose."
"They chose silence."
The officers took him away.
The ballroom slowly emptied.
Hours later, only my father and I remained.
He walked toward me.
For the first time tonight...
He wasn't a powerful businessman.
He was just my father.
"I'm sorry."
I looked at him.
"For what?"
"For not protecting you sooner."
I smiled slightly.
"You taught me how to protect myself."
He looked at the bruise on my face.
"I taught you to be strong."
A pause.
"But I forgot to teach the world not to hurt you."
I hugged him.
The cameras were still recording.
The world was watching.
But this time...
May you like
Nobody was laughing.
Nobody was looking away.
