She Faked Innocence, I Uncovered Her Lie

Chapter 4

The next day, in the Crystal Room.

Everyone who had a voice in New York was there: Dons, Capos, Consiglieres from every family, hedge-fund money, smiling faces from City Hall, and cameras from over a hundred media outlets.

It was the Conti family’s grandest public appearance in twenty years.

And the execution stage they had built for me.

On both sides of the red carpet, camera flashes turned the room white as daylight.

What no one knew was that three days earlier, La Fortuna’s security and audiovisual systems had all been replaced with my people.

I wore a custom gown in pure black, its train sweeping ten feet behind me like a moving piece of midnight.

My father led me into the hall by the hand, with my ten brothers following behind us.

Chloe entered in a holy-white custom gown, wearing the crystal crown on her head, supported personally by my grandmother.

Grandmother removed her own pearl necklace and fastened it around Chloe’s neck with her own hands.

Chloe cried with perfect restraint, fragile as glass that would shatter at the slightest touch.

"Sister..." she choked out across the crowd. "Chloe doesn’t want the inheritance. Chloe just wants us to be a family..."

Every gaze in the room pressed down on me, full of contempt and anticipation.

"I heard the real daughter started bullying the adopted one the second she came home."

"Right? They even froze the poor girl’s black cards."

"Rich-family drama. Classic."

"The old Don came out personally to disinherit someone. First time in twenty years."

"My money’s on Chloe. Easy win."

Expressionless, I took my seat at the head table.

Grandfather walked onto the stage with his cane and took the microphone.

The entire room went silent at once.

"Today is a great day for the Conti family."

"The famiglia has raised Chloe for seventeen years. She is kind, pure, and sensible."

"She is the one and only heir to the Conti family!"

"I hereby declare that the future of Conti belongs to Chloe!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

My ten brothers clapped the loudest.

Chloe walked onto the stage and accepted the microphone, tears sliding down her cheeks with flawless timing.

"Thank you, Grandpa... but I can’t accept this."

"I know Sister doesn’t like me. I don’t want the money either."

"I just want my brothers to be happy. As long as Papa and Sister are happy, Chloe is willing to give up everything..."

She cried so hard she nearly fainted.

But in my earpiece, another audio track was playing at the same time.

【They’re crying. All these idiots are crying.】

【Just a little more. Once this show is over, Conti will be mine.】

"Recording in progress," Dario said.

The whole room was moved.

"What a sweet child."

"The adopted daughter is a hundred times better than the biological one."

"Conti will be safe in her hands."

Below the stage, my oldest brother Marco shouted, "Chloe! We’ll never let you leave! You are the pride of the Conti family!"

Chloe lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Only I could hear the voice in my earpiece.

"Full-room surveillance activated."

"Original audio has been routed into the hall’s main speakers and every LED screen."

"Ready to play at any time."

Half a step behind me, Vittorio gave a slight nod.

"All exits are sealed," Dario confirmed through the earpiece. "She’s not getting away."

I stood and took a miniature remote from my clutch.

My ten brothers saw it.

My grandparents saw it.

Chloe saw it too.

Her face went deathly white.

"Sister, what are you doing..."

I ignored her and looked up at Grandfather on the stage.

"Grandfather."

I pressed the button.

"You wanted evidence, didn’t you?"

"I’ll give it to you."