The picture showed a young man standing in front of the Beaumont Grand Hotel beside a woman everyone in the city had forgotten.
Sophia’s mother.
The ballroom became quiet.
“My father built this hotel with your family,” Sophia explained. “They were partners. They trusted each other.”
She looked directly at Victoria.
“But twenty years ago, my father disappeared.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Sophia continued.
“The official story was that he left because he had failed. That he abandoned everything.”
She paused.
“But that was a lie.”
Victoria’s hands tightened.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sophia looked at her carefully.
“That is exactly what I wanted to hear.”
She reached into another folder and removed several documents.
“These documents show that my father’s shares were transferred illegally after his disappearance.”
Michael Hayes, the banquet manager, stepped closer.
His face had changed from fear to disbelief.
“Are you saying…”
Sophia nodded.
“Yes. Someone stole this hotel from my family.”
Victoria looked around the room.
“You think you can accuse me in front of everyone with old papers?”
Sophia remained calm.
“No.”
She turned toward the phone on the table.
“That is why I invited someone else tonight.”
Everyone froze.
A moment later, the ballroom doors opened.
An elderly man entered slowly.
The entire room became silent.
Victoria looked at him.
And for the first time that night, she looked afraid.
Because she recognized him.
“Impossible…”
