WHO IS MALIK HAMPTON?

The Gauntlet

The air in the ballroom turned electric, charged with greed, pride and thinly veiled contempt. The dazzling chandeliers above did nothing to soften the razor edged silence that followed the elder's revelation. But just as the room seemed ready to erupt into chaos, Janet’s voice cut through with precision.

"If this gift is so priceless, then let’s have it scanned, authenticated, and appraised. Let’s strip away the illusion." She sneered, folding her arms tightly.

A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. Faces turned to one another with barely concealed delight. They didn’t want Malik to be vindicated and they craved Sarah’s fall. Her disgrace would feed their envy for years.

“Yes that's right….! Absolutely!” 

Sarah stood frozen beside Malik. Her breath hitched in her chest and her eyes darting between her family, her enemies and the ancient relics. She had never felt so cornered.

Janet took a slow step forward. "If your little charity project truly brought something real, he shouldn’t mind the scrutiny."

Sarah try to speak but before she could, her mother, Evelyn Roy, stepped forward. Her voice was low but powerful, designed to cut without raising volume.

"Sarah. You know before your arrival, we discussed a terms that at tonight’s celebration, the gift that contributes the most value to Roy Enterprises wins a controlling interest. That was the tradition, was it not?"

Sarah's eyes widened. "Mother, that was never meant to…."

"If this gift is a fraud," Evelyn continued coldly, "you’ll formally step down as heir and transfer full leadership of Roy Enterprises to Janet. She, after all, gave the most promising gift to our future."

The room went silent again. Janet’s lips curved into a victorious smile.

Sarah's pulse thundered in her ears. She turned to Malik with a desperation swimming in her eyes.

"Malik... this is bigger than we thought. I can’t risk everything. Not on….."

"Trust me," he whispered. His voice was steady, calm. Not desperate and It grounded her.

He stepped forward, shielding her slightly from the gathering storm. "Let me carry this weight alone. Just this once. Please."

Sarah hesitated, her heart clashing with her logic. Then slowly she nodded.

Malik turned to face the room. The ballroom, now a coliseum. He raised his chin, meeting every gaze without flinching.

"I agree to the evaluation. But on one condition." Malik declared pointing to Janet, then swept his gaze to the others.

"If the gift is authenticated and valued beyond any other present tonight—if it is, in fact, worth billions—you will apologize. All of you. Publicly."

The crowd stirred. Sarah blinked.

"Apologize? To you?" Michelle laughed cruelly. "Even David?"

David, who had never apologized to anyone in his life, snorted. "You’ve got nerve."

Janet stepped forward with a smirk. "Fine. I’ll apologize. On my knees if I have to. But when it turns out to be fake, Sarah walks. No second chances."

Oliver raised his glass mockingly. "Cheers to that. And I’ll write the apology in gold ink if needed."

Michelle nodded. "Let the games begin."

The tech team was summoned immediately. A forensic artifact expert and two appraisers were flown in via chopper, arriving with scanners, spectral analyzers, and ancient linguistics software.

The ballroom was cleared in part, tables moved aside to make room for the scanning stations. Cameras rolled, and reporters from the family’s media wing streamed the process live. No one wanted to miss this.

Sarah stood in the corner, her arms wrapped around herself. Malik’s figure remained tall and unmoving as the relics were laid out.

The scroll was placed first.

A technician adjusted the lights, scanning the ink. 

“Sarah's heart sunk , waiting for the results.