The Truth Behind The Scandal

Hayes scoffed. The sound scraped against the tense silence of the boardroom. He leaned back into his leather executive chair, resting his hands behind his head.

"Alright. Since you want to call the shots," he said, letting his gaze drift over Serena with lazy disrespect. "Let us talk about Brant. Your boy stole company materials. He fenced them. That is grand theft. On top of that, he assaulted my men. Left Jace bleeding. Multiple felony charges. Seems pretty open and shut to me."

"Brant is innocent!" Quinn snapped. She gripped the back of an empty leather chair, her knuckles turning white. "He is too straightforward to pull a stunt like that. You are framing him!"

Tobias stepped up beside his sister, his jaw tight. "Show us the security footage. Play the tapes right now. That will clear this up in five seconds."

Hayes let out a breathy laugh, flashing a wide, predatory grin. "Such a shame. The cameras malfunctioned. The system went down right before the incident. But as for the theft and the brutal assault? I have plenty of witnesses. Half the site saw him throw the first punch."

"Those witnesses are on your payroll!" Tobias yelled, his voice echoing off the glass walls. "They are your people. They mean nothing! You and Jace orchestrated this from the start!"

"Orchestrated?" Hayes scoffed, dropping his feet from the table and leaning forward. "Brant put a man in the hospital. Even if this goes before a judge, that boy is getting locked in a cell." He shifted his attention back to Serena, raising an eyebrow. "And you? The one who claims to be in charge? You have been awfully quiet."

Serena held his gaze. Her expression mirrored a calm, unbothered stillness. "What do you want for his release?"

A slow, oily smirk spread across Hayes's face. This was the exact question he had been waiting for. He pushed his chair back and stood up, adjusting the cuffs of his expensive suit. He walked around the sturdy wooden conference table, his footsteps heavy on the plush carpet, closing the distance between them.

Quinn and Tobias stiffened. Tobias moved to block him, but Serena raised a single finger, signaling them to stay put. She did not take a single step back.

"Three hundred thousand dollars," Hayes stated, his eyes gleaming with undisguised greed. "Three hundred thousand, and I make the charges disappear."

"What?" Quinn gasped, her voice cracking with fury and panic. "Are you trying to bleed us dry? Jace is sitting in a hospital bed with a few bruises, not in a morgue!" Three hundred thousand was a life-ruining sum. It was an impossible fortune for their family.

Hayes ignored Quinn. He kept his eyes locked on Serena, taking another step closer until he was invading her personal space. The smell of his expensive cologne mixed with the stale scent of liquor.

"No money? That is fine. We can settle this another way," Hayes murmured. His voice dropped an octave, dripping with a repulsive, sleazy charm. His gaze slid down Serena's body, raw hunger in his eyes. "I will admit, you are a gorgeous piece of work. Spend one night with me. Spread your legs, let me shove my cock into you, and we will forget this whole mess ever happened."

He raised his hand, his fingers reaching out to stroke her cheek.

Tobias saw red. The rational part of his brain snapped. He lunged forward, shoving his hands hard into Hayes's chest.

"Do not touch my sister!" Tobias roared, planting himself firmly between Serena and the sleazy executive. "You have a problem, you bring it to me!"

Hayes stumbled back a few steps, his polished shoes scuffing the floor. His face flushed purple with rage. "Bring it to you? You are a joke." He snapped his fingers.

The wall of burly bodyguards moved instantly. Two massive men in black suits lunged at Tobias. They grabbed his arms, twisting them backward, and slammed him hard against the glass wall.

"Let go of me!" Tobias thrashed, fighting to break their iron grip, but the men were too heavy, too strong.

"Tobias!" Quinn screamed.

Serena did not shout. Her eyes turned to ice. She moved with a speed that defied logic. Before the guards could secure their hold on her brother, she pivoted on her heel and unleashed a devastating kick. Her foot connected with the ribs of the first guard. The impact sounded like a baseball bat striking a heavy bag. The massive man flew sideways, crashing into a row of chairs. Without missing a beat, she spun and drove her knee into the second guard's stomach, sending him skidding across the polished floor until he slammed into the far wall.

They crumpled, groaning in pain, unable to stand.

Hayes stood frozen, his face pale. "You hit my men?" he sputtered, spit flying from his lips.

Serena smoothed the front of her jacket, her breathing even. "We are here to negotiate, Mr. Hayes. Your dogs bit first."

Hayes clenched his fists, his chest heaving. "Fine. You want to talk? Let us see how you talk your way out of a prison sentence."

"You laid out your terms," Serena said, her voice a sharp, commanding instrument. "Now I will lay out mine. We will pay for Jace's basic medical bills. He took a punch, nothing more. We cover the hospital fee, and not a single penny extra. Then, this matter is closed."

Hayes burst into mocking laughter. He pointed a finger at her. "You think a hospital bill fixes this? You stupid girl. Brant stole from my site. He assaulted my worker. I am sending him to maximum security!"

Serena offered a small, chilling smile. "Prison time? Let me show you something."

She pulled her phone from her pocket. With a few swift taps on the screen, a prompt appeared on the room's media wall. The giant screen flickered to life, illuminating the dark conference room with the harsh glare of an underground parking garage.

It was the security footage. Repaired, crisp, and undeniable.

Hayes's eyes bulged. He whipped his head toward the remaining bodyguards. "What is this? What is going on?"

One of the guards stepped back, stammering. "I... I do not know, boss! The cameras were busted, I swear!"

"I am asking how she got the damn tapes!" Hayes roared, his voice cracking.

"I have no idea!" the man pleaded, shrinking away.

"Get out of my face!"

On the screen, the video played out in high definition. It showed Jace and another worker creeping through the shadows, carrying a crate of expensive materials. They checked their surroundings, looking suspicious, before sneaking the crate directly under Brant's resting area.

The audio kicked in, loud and clear.

"Brant has no chance," Jace's voice echoed through the boardroom speakers, dripping with malice. "We leave this stash under his bed. That is his golden ticket to a prison cell."

Hayes stood paralyzed. The color drained from his face. He had no idea the security cameras recorded high-fidelity audio.

"I knew it!" Quinn shouted, pointing at the screen. "Brant is innocent! Jace set the whole thing up!"

The footage skipped forward. It showed Brant trying to walk away from the site, keeping his head down. Jace and three other men stepped into his path, blocking his exit. They shoved him. They taunted him. They cornered him against a concrete pillar, leaving him zero room to escape. When one of the men threw a punch, Brant finally reacted. He fought back with raw, desperate power, laying out Jace with a single, brutal hook to the jaw before the others swarmed him. It was pure self-defense.

Serena stepped toward the head of the table. Her voice cut through the room like a finely honed blade. "Do you understand now, Mr. Hayes? First, the theft was a premeditated setup orchestrated by your man. Second, Brant was defending his own life. With this footage, a judge will throw out your case in five minutes."

She paused, letting the silence stretch, her piercing gaze locking onto his terrified eyes.

"We offered to cover the medical costs. That is generous. If you dare push this issue any further, the Montell family will drag you through hell. We will ruin you."

The humiliation burned through Hayes. His ego, shattered in front of his own men, ignited into a blind, seething rage. He raised his heavy palm and slammed it down onto the thick mahogany conference table.

Smack!

"You little brat!" Hayes screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. "You think you can come into my building and threaten me?"

The noise made Quinn and Tobias flinch, but Serena did not blink. She did not retreat. Instead, she stepped right up to the edge of the table. She raised her own hand.

She brought it down onto the solid wood.

BANG!

The explosive impact sounded like a gunshot echoing in the confined space.

"You overstep!" Serena roared, her voice vibrating with a suffocating, terrifying aura that filled every corner of the room. "It is you who dare threaten me!"

Hayes stumbled backward, hitting his chair. He was taken aback, his breath catching in his throat. The sheer, overwhelming pressure radiating from her pinned him in place. He could only grind his teeth, his jaw trembling.

"Serena Montell," Hayes choked out, his voice a hollow, shaking vow. "You will regret this. I swear I will not forget this."

"Worry about yourself," Serena shot back coldly. She turned her back on him, her posture impeccable. She glanced at her stunned siblings. "Let us go."

Tobias and Quinn hurried after her. As they approached the double doors, the remaining bodyguards—men who made a living through violence—looked at Serena and hesitated. Terrified by the unnatural strength she used to send their coworkers flying, they parted instantly like the Red Sea, pressing their backs against the walls to let her pass.

The heavy doors swung shut behind them.

The boardroom fell into a deathly silence. Hayes stood over the table, his chest heaving with frustrated breaths. He cursed under his breath, reaching up to loosen his tight collar, desperate to regain a fraction of his lost composure.

"Boss..." one of his men whispered. The guard stood frozen, pointing a trembling finger downward.

"What now?" Hayes snapped, glaring at the man.

"The table... look at the table."

Hayes lowered his gaze. The thick, solid mahogany conference table—a sturdy piece of wood built to last a lifetime—was ruined. Right where Serena had struck it, a network of deep, jagged spider-web cracks radiated outward. The fissures stretched across the polished surface, growing wider by the second.

Creak.

A second later, a catastrophic crash deafened the room. The center of the table caved in, collapsing into a heap of jagged splinters and broken wood.

Hayes jumped back, letting out a sharp gasp of trembling horror. He stared at the ruined wood, his mind blank, a lingering sense of awe and deep trauma rooting him to the spot.