Chapter 4 - The Eye of Justice
The ballroom had become a tomb. The guests, usually so quick to curry favor with a man of Hawthorne’s stature, were now staring at him as if he were a leper. The act of violence had stripped away the veil of his philanthropy. It didn't matter how much money he gave; he had proven that he lacked the most basic human capacity for mercy.
"Security!" a voice boomed from the back of the room. It was Daniel Brooks, the Chief of Security, a man who had worked the gala for twenty years and had no patience for people who thought their bank accounts made them above the law.
Daniel stepped onto the floor, his uniform sharp and his expression grim. "Mr. Hawthorne, I suggest you step away from the child."
"I am the victim of a robbery," Richard retorted, though his voice had lost its edge. "And that child is a suspect."
"We’ll see about that," Daniel said. He signaled for his team. "We’re going to the control room. We’re going to review the camera feeds for the last hour. If the girl took it, she’ll be handed over to the police. If she didn't… then we have a very serious situation on our hands."
Richard laughed, a nervous, jagged sound. "Fine. Do it. Make a fool of yourself."
The trip to the control room was a procession of judgment. Grace carried Sophie in her arms, the girl’s face hidden against her mother’s neck. A small group of senior guests followed, unable to look away.
Inside the small, monitors-lined room, Daniel began the work. He pulled up the camera feed from the quayside area near the stage. He watched Richard walk to the bar area before the event started. He watched the billionaire take off his watch to check a text message, set it on the mahogany counter next to a display of decorative glasses, and then walk away, his attention immediately snatched by a group of politicians.
The watch was still there. For a brief moment, it sat unguarded. Then, a waiter—a nervous young man who had been clearing glasses—had swiped the counter with a cloth, accidentally knocking the watch into the trash bin beneath the bar.
"Pause it," Grace said, pointing at the screen.
May you like
Daniel zoomed in. The watch was clearly visible in the bin. Richard had never been robbed. He had been negligent. And then, Daniel pulled up the camera that covered the stage area. It showed the entire encounter with Sophie. It showed the billionaire towering over the small, vulnerable girl. It showed him grabbing her. It showed him throwing her to the ground with a force that was wholly unnecessary.
The screen glowed, illuminating the faces of the people in the room. Richard Hawthorne looked at the monitors, and for the first time in his life, he saw himself—not as a titan, not as a hero, but as a bully.
