PART 4

“What do you mean, ‘What did I do?’” Beatrice snapped into the phone. “I brought my friends here just like I told you I would to help promote our restaurant!”

Lucas exhaled sharply, struggling to catch his breath.

“Mom, it is not our restaurant.”

Beatrice froze in the middle of the crowded room.

“Stop joking around with me, Lucas.”

“I am not joking! I never put a single dollar into that business! The restaurant belongs entirely to Camilla!”

The surrounding women began exchanging confused, uncomfortable glances.

Beatrice tightened her grip on the phone until her knuckles turned white.

“But you prepared the legal transfer documents!”

“Yes, I drafted them myself, but Camilla never agreed to sign anything over to me!”

A wealthy woman sitting near Beatrice leaned closer.

“So why on earth did you tell us this luxury establishment was practically yours already?”

Beatrice pretended not to hear her and spoke frantically into the phone.

“Lucas, explain to them right now that you are taking out loans to save this restaurant because it is going bankrupt!”

Another uncomfortable silence followed.

“Mom… that is a lie, too.”

The color vanished from Beatrice’s face.

“What did you say?”

“The restaurant is not bankrupt, and it never was!”

Nobody in the private room dared take another sip.

Lucas continued talking nervously over speakerphone, slowly unraveling his own lies.

“I had massive personal debts, Mom! I needed money desperately, which is why I took funds directly from the commercial account!”

“How much money?” Beatrice demanded, her voice cracking.

“A lot…”

I stepped forward and spoke directly into the call.

“It was nearly forty thousand dollars in unauthorized transfers and personal expenses, all of which are documented.”

Lucas went silent.

One of Beatrice’s closest friends stood up.

“And what about that young girl you were boasting about earlier, Beatrice?”

Beatrice glared at her, but Lucas was already trapped.

“Yes, there was someone else,” Lucas confessed miserably. “Part of the money went toward luxury hotel rooms, expensive gifts, and trips.”

A shocked murmur moved through the room.

Beatrice seemed unable to process that her own son was destroying her entire false image in less than five minutes.

“You lied to me, Lucas,” she whispered in disbelief.

“I needed you to pressure Camilla into giving me control of the business! I thought if I gained legal access, I could use the restaurant’s revenue to fix my debts!”

One of the prominent socialites rose from her chair.

“Beatrice, you explicitly told all of us that your son was the sole owner of this venue!”

“I was only repeating what he explained to me!” Beatrice shouted back defensively.

“You also promised that you were paying for this entire banquet!” another woman added angrily, picking up the massive bill. “Who is going to pay for all this expensive food and wine now?”

Beatrice looked desperately toward the exit.

I stepped calmly into her path.

“The person who organized the event, placed the massive orders, and publicly announced that they were treating everyone should be held legally responsible. If you believe Lucas should cover it, you are welcome to work that out with him.”

Beatrice lifted the phone again.

“Lucas, pay this bill right now!”

“I cannot, Mom.”

“What do you mean you cannot?”

“I do not have any money left!”

The call ended as Lucas hung up.

Nobody moved for several seconds.

The room was suffocatingly quiet.

I calmly lifted the receipt from the silver tray, exposing the legal documents beneath it.

“There is something else you all should know,” I said clearly.

I handed Beatrice the certified copy of the court ruling.