When I reached the altar, I looked at Lando. I expected to see someone naive, but I was surprised when our eyes met. Underneath the soot and tousled hair, his eyes were fearless. They were sharp, calm, and burning with a quiet power.
The Explosion of the Altar
The ceremony began. As the priest read the words, Julian laughed nonstop in the background.
“Before I pronounce you husband and wife,” said the priest, “is there anyone who objects to this marriage?”
“I object.”
A deep, cold, and resonant voice broke through the deafening laughter inside the cathedral. It didn’t come from the guests. It came from the beggar standing in front of me. From Lando.
Julian frowned. He quickly stood up from his chair. “Hey, you famished! What are you doing?! I paid you ten thousand to follow the script! Go ahead with the wedding!”
But Lando didn’t budge. He slowly raised his hands. In front of hundreds of guests and media, he took off his messy and dirty wig. He removed the fake beard that was stuck to his face. He took a wet handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the soot from his cheeks and forehead.
Everyone gasped. Even I recoiled in shock.
The filthy beggar disappeared. What emerged from under the rags was a very handsome, elegant, and feared face throughout the world of business and investment.
“W-What…?!” Julian’s jaw dropped. He turned pale as if he had seen death. His legs began to tremble until he was clutching the chair.
“My name is not Lando, Julian,” the man said coldly, now looking like an angry king standing at the altar. “I am Gabriel Imperial. The CEO and Founder of Imperial Conglomerate —the very company you are now begging to give you a fifty billion peso investment to save your failing business.”
The Truth That Broke the Billionaire
Reporters shouted and cameras flashed. The billionaire guests were in a frenzy, unable to believe that the man they had been laughing at was the richest man in the entire country.
“M-Mr. Imperial?!” Julian stammered, shivering, cold sweat dripping down his face. “W-How… why did you pretend to be a beggar on the street?!”
“Because I know about your dirty game, Julian,” Gabriel thundered back, shaking the cathedral. He pulled a black flash drive from his tattered suit and held it up for all to see. “I received an anonymous tip about your illegal activities in the stock market. I posed as a beggar outside your office and mansion for three months to collect all the evidence of your theft and money laundering.”
“That’s a lie! That’s AI!” Julian shouted in panic, about to run out of the church.
“Lock the doors!” Gabriel ordered.
From the church doors, dozens of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents in uniform and armed with guns entered. They blocked all exits.
“This flash drive contains all the evidence!” Gabriel boldly announced. “It includes evidence of how you sabotaged Clara’s father’s company, which led to her death, and how you stole your investors’ money!”
Julian collapsed on the church floor. The man he thought he would use to humiliate me was the very man who had ruined all his evil. He was crying and begging as the NBI agents mercilessly handcuffed him.
« Mr. Imperial! It’s like you’re taking pity on me! I’ll take you as my partner! Clara! Please ask him, we were together before! » Julian cried out as he was dragged out of the cathedral in front of the screaming guests and flashing cameras.
I felt no pity. I just watched him disappear from my sight. The man who destroyed my family was completely destroyed.
The True Oath
