Chapter 208

The hall slowly erupted into low murmurings. Whispers spread from one corner to another. It was like a dangerous wave that refused to die down. Faces turned toward each other, confusion and shock written clearly on everyone’s expression.

Stephen Winthrope sat stiffly in his seat.

He had expected chaos, but not this kind. And he had come prepared.

He had expected his men to burst into the hall by now. At least, that was the plan. He had expected screams, panic, blood-anything that would turn attention away from him. But nothing happened.

Not a single one of his men appeared.

That was the moment Stephen knew.

This was not going his way.

His heart sank heavily in his chest as realization hit him with full force. Everything had been a setup. Every step.

Every delay, and every silence.

He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He should have known.

He should have known that Lene would talk. He should have known that fear would make them betray him. Heshould have trusted no one. Not even the people he had controlled for years.

He cursed himself silently.

He should have canceled this foolish marriage. This sham.

This parade of lies. How could he have been so careless?

How could a man like him, who had survived decades of blood and crime, make such a stupid mistake?

Stephen’s jaw tightened as anger burned deep inside him.

At the same time, Isla sat frozen.

She had not expected any of this.

The accusations being whispered, the words flashing across the screens—none of it made sense to her. Her heart began to pound fast as fear crawled slowly into her chest.

Gabriel noticed immediately.

The moment he saw the confusion and distress on Isla’s face, his instincts kicked in. He reached for the remote control and turned off the television in front of her.

He did not want her to see any more.

He did not want her to hear the truth this way.

Isla looked up at him, startled, but Gabriel only held her hand firmly, silently telling her that she was safe.But before the hall could calm down, before anyone coutd speak clearly, something unexpected happened.

All the large monitors in the hall suddenly turned on.

All at once.

A loud gasp spread through the guests.

A video began to play.

***

FLASHBACK

GABRIEL AND ISLA’S RESIDENCE

After the police officers had left the mansion, Stone stood still, deep in thought.

Something kept bothering him.

The phones.

Not the ones found inside the boxes, but the phones that were first taken from the two women before they swallowed poison and killed themselves.

Stone trusted his instincts more than anything. And his instincts were screaming at him.

Without wasting time, he picked up the phones and began checking their contents. Call logs. Voice notes and probably hidden files.Just then, John arrived.

Stone explained everything that had happened, step by step. John listened quietly, his face tight with worry and fear.

Together, they decided to dig deeper.

What they found shattered them.

The phones contained recordings.

Not random ones. Clear recordings of Stephen Winthrope’s voice.

There were many of them.

Different recordings. Different dates. Different orders.

Stephen’s confessions. His instructions and his crimes.

John felt his knees weaken as he listened. He sank into the nearest chair, his hands shaking violently.

Tears rolled down his face.

One recording revealed the truth they had never imagined.

It was Wyatt. Wyatt was the one who had killed Alfred Wyndham.

And it was not by accident, or by his illness. He murdered him in cold blood.

The recording explained everything-how Wyatt injectedAlfred with a deadly substance that left no immediate trace. How Stephen had given the order calmly.

They did not see the actual act. But they heard enough.

Another video showed Wyatt receiving instructions directly from Stephen.

John broke down completely.

– Another clip played.

This one showed Stephen ordering the first assassination attempt on Isla.

John covered his mouth, his entire body shaking.

How could this be real?

But there were more recordings and more secrets. There were more crimes committed.

Stephen spoke openly about taking down his former boss, the original owner of the casino. He spoke about betrayal, greed, and power like they were nothing.

But the most shocking revelation came last.

The casino crime lord everyone in Richbouph feared was not the real one.

The real crime lord was a senator in Carminton.

A powerful man hiding behind politics.The one everyone feared was only his second in command

John felt like his entire world was collapsing.

“We have him, sir,” Stone said firmly. “This is the proof we need. That monster does not deserve to live his last days as a free man.”

John sobbed uncontrollably. He had trusted Wyatt.

Even when Gabriel accused Wyatt, John had stopped him.

He thought Gabriel was acting out of bitterness. He thought he was wrong.

Now, guilt crushed him.

“I failed my father,” John whispered, his voice breaking.”I failed him.”

Stone’s expression hardened.

He felt the pain too. He blamed himself as well. As head of security, he should have seen it earlier.

“We will use these clips,” Stone said coldly. “On the wedding day. We will broadcast them nationwide.

Everyone will see the truth. This ends today.”

BACK TO PRESENT

The hall was dead silent.

Then the whispers exploded.

Eyes widened in horror as Stephen Winthrope’s face filledthe screens. His voice echoed clearly through the hall, repeating his crimes over and over.

“He murdered Alfred Wyndham?” someone shouted.

“Oh my God!”

“What kind of world is this?”

The guests were in shock. Some were crying. Others were frozen in fear.

The priest stood speechless, his mouth slightly open.

Delphine let out a broken sob. She knew she was finished.

Carl laughed bitterly.

He turned toward her, disgust clear in his eyes. “Did you really think I was stupid?” he asked. “Did you think I would marry a snake like you?”

He shook his head and walked away.

John stood still.

Gladys, however, looked shattered. She was hurting. She was confused and angry.

“How could you hide this from me?” her eyes asked silently.

Outside the hall, Stephen’s men were already being arrested-without him knowing.Carl stepped down from the podium, walking away without care.

Stephen realized it was over.

But before the authorities could reach him, he decided to do one last thing.

He stood up.

Before anyone could stop him, he pulled out a gun and aimed it at Carl.

The hall erupted into screams. People dropped to the floor.

The gun fired, and the bullet hit Carl.

John and Gladys screamed his name.

Another gun fired immediately. This time, the bullet struck Stephen Winthrope.

An officer had shot him down. And Stephen collapsed.

Carl lay bleeding on the floor.

The hall fell into chaos.

People screamed. They ran, some cried, while some prayed silently. The truth has finally come out, exposed for the world to see.