Chapter 6 - The Charity Gala Trap
Despite the public outrage, Margaret still believed her old high-society connections would protect her from actual prison time.
The annual Metropolitan Children’s Hospital Charity Gala was held at the Grand Imperial Hotel—the biggest social event of the year. Margaret knew that the District Attorney, the Chief of Police, and the city’s top judges would all be in attendance.
Using an old physical invitation card she had kept in her purse before her accounts were frozen, Margaret put on her last designer dress, heavy makeup to hide her pale skin, and snuck through the service entrance of the venue.
She believed that if she could publicly apologize to Ethan in front of the city's elite, he would be forced to forgive her to save face.
The grand ballroom was dazzling. Hundreds of wealthy donors sat at round tables covered in white roses and glowing candles.
Margaret hid near the mahogany bar, her heart pounding as she waited for the right moment.
At 8:30 PM, the master of ceremonies stepped up to the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome tonight's keynote speakers and primary benefactors—Ethan Sterling and his wife, Maya Vance-Sterling!"
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.
I walked onto the raised stage leaning on Ethan’s arm. I wore an elegant, flowing midnight-blue velvet gown that accentuated my full baby bump. I looked healthy, radiant, and completely at peace.
"Thank you, everyone," Ethan spoke into the microphone, his arm wrapped lovingly around my waist. "Tonight, Maya and I are proud to announce the creation of the Vance-Sterling Foundation for Maternal and Child Safety, backed by an initial ten-million-dollar endowment."
As the crowd cheered, Margaret saw her chance.
She shoved past two waiters, running up the steps of the stage, her face twisted into a desperate, manic smile as she reached out toward Ethan.
"Ethan! My baby boy!" Margaret shrieked into the crowd, her voice echoing through the speakers. "Look at what they’ve done to your mother! I forgive you, Ethan! Tell these people that your wicked wife set me up! Tell them you love your mother!"
The music stopped instantly. The crowd gasped in horror.
Ethan didn't flinch. He didn't look surprised or flustered. He simply stepped in front of me, shielding me completely from Margaret’s path.
"I don't have a mother," Ethan said into the microphone, his voice dead calm and perfectly clear. "My mother died the day she tried to murder my wife and unborn child for her own twisted ego."
Two tall uniformed officers stepped onto the stage behind Margaret.
"Margaret Sterling," Chief Police Commissioner Davis announced personally, stepping up with a set of steel handcuffs. "You are under arrest for felony aggravated assault on a pregnant person, reckless endangerment, and attempted extortion."
"No! You can't arrest me here!" Margaret screamed, struggling as the cold steel cuffs clicked around her wrists in front of three hundred cameras and every influential person in the state. "Ethan! Maya! Tell them to stop!"
I looked down at Margaret from the stage, my hand resting gently on my stomach.
May you like
"You told me at the shower that I had no idea who I was dealing with, Margaret," I said softly, my voice carrying through the room. "You were right. You had no idea you were dealing with a family that actually loves each other."
The crowd broke into a roar of applause as the police dragged Margaret down the aisle, her desperate screams echoing into the night as she was hauled off to a central booking cell.
