The old man walked forward.
His name was Thomas Bennett.
Sophia’s father.
The man everyone believed had disappeared twenty years ago.
Sophia’s eyes filled with emotion, but she remained standing.
“Dad.”
The guests gasped.
Victoria stepped backward.
“You were supposed to be gone.”
The words escaped her mouth before she realized what she had said.
The entire ballroom went silent.
Sophia noticed.
And so did everyone else.
Thomas looked at Victoria with disappointment.
“That is exactly what you told everyone twenty years ago.”
Victoria’s face turned pale.
The truth began to surface.
Thomas explained that after discovering financial fraud inside the company, he had planned to expose the people responsible.
But before he could reveal everything, he was threatened and forced to disappear.
He spent two decades gathering evidence, waiting for the right moment.
And tonight was that moment.
Sophia had not purchased the hotel because she wanted luxury.
She bought it because she wanted the truth.
Victoria tried to defend herself.
“I had nothing to do with this.”
Sophia looked at her quietly.
“Then why were you so afraid when you saw him?”
No one answered.
The question remained hanging in the air.
Security officers entered the ballroom.
