PART 5: The Sleepless Night of Chicago and the True Identity
The sleek, midnight-black Rolls-Royce Phantom had been waiting patiently at the bottom of the marble steps of the Carter mansion. As Madison stepped outside, the elderly chauffeur, dressed in a pristine suit, stepped down and respectfully opened the door. "Welcome back, Young Mistress. The Old Matriarch has been waiting for you at the Bennett headquarters for a very long time."
Madison nodded slightly and stepped into the car. The heavy door shut with a solid thud, completely cutting off the wretched screams of Ethan and the hysterical wailing of Patricia behind her. She leaned back against the plush leather seat, staring at her own reflection in the tinted window. For the past three years, she had hidden her true identity as the sole heiress of the Bennett Clan—the largest luxury hotel and real estate conglomerate in Chicago—just to be a virtuous, submissive wife. She had personally cooked every meal and washed every shirt for Ethan. She had foolishly believed that her sincerity would be met with true love. Instead, she was rewarded with nothing but contempt, ridicule, and ultimately, a disgusting conspiracy where the entire Carter family colluded to trick her into signing away the massive inheritance her grandmother had secretly left her.
"They thought I was a fool," Madison ridiculed herself, the corners of her lips curling into a cold, sharp smile. "But the rules of the game change tonight."
The car glided to a halt in front of the Bennett Grand Hotel—an imposing 80-story skyscraper piercing the heart of the Chicago skyline, a monument to sheer luxury and absolute power. Brilliant LED lights illuminated the top of the tower, casting a golden glow over the city. Tonight was the Bennett Grand's 50th-anniversary gala, the exact night the Old Matriarch had chosen to officially announce the new successor of the empire.
The moment Madison stepped into the VIP grand ballroom, hundreds of eyes belonging to high society elite, major shareholders, and prominent journalists instantly converged upon her. She had discarded her simple, plain dress from earlier, replacing it with a breathtaking, high-slit wine-red evening gown. Her dark hair was swept up into an elegant chignon, exposing her porcelain swan neck and a diamond necklace worth millions of dollars. The timid, submissive "daughter-in-law of the Carter family" had vanished entirely. In her place stood a woman exuding the overwhelming, suffocating aura of a queen.
On the main stage, the Old Matriarch of the Bennett family—a legendary woman of power with silver hair but eyes as sharp as a hawk—smiled with immense pride. She raised the microphone, her voice echoing powerfully throughout the hall: "Tonight, it is my absolute honor to introduce the New Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Bennett Group—my granddaughter, Madison Bennett!"
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Thunderous applause erupted like a roaring wave. Madison walked gracefully onto the stage, accepting a glass of champagne from her grandmother's hand. She looked down at the ocean of people below, her gaze suddenly locking onto a far corner of the ballroom. Standing there, frozen like statues, were Ethan and Patricia. They had used their last remaining, highly coveted invitation cards to desperately squeeze into this gala, hoping to find a wealthy investor to save the bankrupting Carter Corporation.
Four eyes met. Ethan’s face drained from utter shock and disbelief to a deadly, ghostly pale. The glass of wine in his hand slipped through his fingers, shattering into a thousand pieces on the floor.
