The quiet chatter in the grand dining hall evaporated in an instant. A heavy silence settled over the room as Arthur stared at the tiny blinking device resting in his palm. The green light had switched to a rapid, menacing red pulse, casting a faint glow against his fingers.
Arthur: What is the meaning of this?
Victoria: Arthur, darling, don't listen to this crazy girl! She probably put it there herself to cause a scene and extort money from you!
Elena: I didn't put it there! I swear on my life, Mr. Vance, I didn't!
Arthur: Quiet, both of you. My security team swept this entire hall two hours ago. They didn't install this.
Victoria: Then she must have snuck in after the sweep! Security, throw her out of here immediately!
Elena: No! Please! If you throw me out, they're going to destroy everything you built!
Arthur raised his hand, freezing the two burly security guards who had started stepping forward from the entrance.
Arthur: Who are 'they', Elena? Speak clearly.
Elena: I... I can't say their names out loud. The earpiece... they can hear everything through the wire.
Arthur: Take the earpiece out. Now.
Elena reached up with trembling fingers and unclipped the miniature receiver hidden inside her uniform collar. She dropped it onto the white tablecloth next to Arthur's silver plate. He slammed a heavy glass tumbler over it, muffling any potential transmission.
Arthur: Now answer me. Who told you to interfere today?
Elena: Someone offered me fifty thousand dollars last week to make sure you sat in that specific chair at exactly two o'clock. They said it was just a audio recorder for a high-stakes divorce lawsuit.
Victoria: See? She's admitting to corporate espionage! Call the Dallas police right now!
Elena: But then ten minutes ago, I overheard two men in the back hallway talking about a localized electrical trigger built into the chair frame! They weren't recording a conversation—they were planning to harm you!
Arthur: An electrical trigger linked to my pacemaker...
Victoria: That's absurd! Arthur, you aren't actually listening to a maid over your own fiancee, are you?
Arthur: I never told the public I had a pacemaker installed last month, Victoria. Only three people in this room knew about my medical condition.
Victoria: Well... it's common knowledge among close friends!
Arthur: No, it wasn't. It was locked in a private vault at the hospital under my private estate lawyer's care.
Elena: Mr. Vance, the red light on that device... it means the remote receiver was activated two minutes ago. Whichever person holds the master transmitter is sitting inside this very room.
Arthur stood up slowly, his tall frame towering over the table. He turned his cold grey eyes toward Victoria, whose hand was resting nervously inside her designer handbag.
Arthur: Take your hand out of your bag, Victoria.
Victoria: Arthur, you're being utterly ridiculous!
Arthur: Hand over the bag, or my security guards will take it from you.
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