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Chapter 34
MICHAEL'S POVAfter confirming with Victoria that she would pick me up later, I ended the call and returned to the head table where the Fletcher family was settling into their VIP seats. The ambiance was electric with anticipation as the city's most elite families gathered for what was clearly the evening's main event.A distinguished man in an elegant tuxedo stepped onto the stage, commanding immediate attention from the hundreds of guests. The conversations died down as he approached the microphone with the confidence of someone accustomed to addressing powerful audiences."Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," the man began, his voice carrying clearly throughout the ornate banquet hall. "My name is Damian Rodriguez, and I have the honor of serving as tonight's master of ceremonies."He paused as polite applause rippled through the audience."I've been entrusted with the responsibility of combining the various votes from our panel of judges and revealing the recipient of this year's
Chapter 33
MICHAEL'S POVMayor Rodriguez gestured grandly toward the most prestigious table in the entire banquet hall, positioned at the very front with the best view of the stage and decorated with elaborate floral arrangements that probably cost more than most people's monthly salary."Mr. Thompson, please," the Mayor said with obvious reverence, "I would be deeply honored if you and your distinguished family would dine with me at the head table.""Thank you, Mayor Rodriguez," I replied calmly, as if being treated like royalty by city officials was a perfectly normal occurrence for me.Derek, still reeling from the Mayor's dramatic intervention, tried to follow us toward the VIP section. "Mayor Rodriguez, I'm Derek Manning. My family—""Stop right there," the Mayor said firmly, holding up his hand. "You are not on my guest list, Mr. Manning."Derek's face flushed with embarrassment. "But surely there's been some mistake. The Manning family has always been—""The invitation was specifically fo
Chapter 32
After accepting Derek's bet, Sarah turned to him with determination in her eyes. "Give me the keys to your most expensive car right now."Derek looked confused. "What? Why?""I'm going to hold them," Sarah replied firmly. "That way, when Michael proves he really was invited, I can give him the keys immediately.""Sarah, you don't need to—" Derek started."Hand them over," Sarah demanded. "Unless you're not confident in your own bet?"Derek reluctantly pulled out a set of keys with a distinctive Lamborghini emblem. "Fine. But you'll be giving these right back to me in a few hours.""We'll see about that," Sarah said, slipping the keys into her purse.An hour later, we arrived at the Grand Palace Hotel, where the mayor's exclusive ceremony was being held. The building was illuminated with spotlights, and luxury cars lined the circular driveway as the city's elite made their grand entrances."Look at this place," Carmen whispered in awe. "I've never seen anything so magnificent.""Only t
Chapter 31
MIACHEL'S POVDerek stood frozen, staring at his phone long after the line went dead. His father's words echoed in the stunned silence of the living room, and he couldn't bring himself to look up at Sarah's family. The confidence that had radiated from him just minutes before had completely evaporated."There... there must be some mistake," Derek stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "My father must have misunderstood what the mayor said.""Or maybe," I said calmly, pulling out my phone, "your father understood perfectly."I scrolled through my messages and found the official email that had arrived just minutes after my conversation with Victoria Sterling. "Here's the official invitation from the mayor's office."I held up my phone so everyone could see the government seal and official letterhead."Sarah, would you mind reading this aloud for everyone?" I asked, handing her the phone.Sarah took the device with trembling hands and began to read: "Dear Mr. Michael Thompson and t
Chapter 30 Part 2
MIACHEL'S POVDerek's face was flushed with anger as he watched Robert consider the possibility that I might be telling the truth. His carefully constructed lies were falling apart, and he was growing desperate."Wait!" Derek shouted, holding up his hands dramatically. "Don't let this fraud fool all of you!""Derek, maybe we should just—" Sarah started."No!" Derek interrupted harshly. "I'm not going to let Michael Thompson destroy my family's reputation with his pathetic schemes!"He pulled out his phone with aggressive determination. "I'm going to prove once and for all that this whole thing is fake!""How are you going to do that?" Elena asked hopefully."I'm calling my father right now," Derek declared. "He has direct connections to the mayor's office. He can contact the mayor personally to confirm whether their system was hacked.""That's a brilliant idea," Tina said with obvious relief. "Marcus Manning will get to the bottom of this immediately."Derek was already dialing, his e
Chapter 30 Part 1
MIACHEL'S POVI looked around the room at their panicked, accusatory faces and maintained my calm composure. "Derek is completely wrong. I have no intention of getting any of you arrested by the mayor.""Then explain this impossible situation!" Elena demanded, her voice shrill with anxiety."In fact," I continued steadily, "we'll all be sitting at the highest table at the event. The mayor has specifically reserved the VIP section for our family."The room erupted in mocking laughter once again."The highest table?" Carmen screeched. "Are you completely insane?""You think the mayor is going to treat our family like royalty because of you?" Tina asked incredulously.I ignored their laughter and continued. "I didn't hack anything. This is a direct invitation from the mayor himself. He's already ordered for all of us to be treated as VIP guests at tonight's ceremony."Tina's face turned red with fury. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" she screamed. "If the mayor hears the nonsense you're spilling, he'l
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