Chapter 11 - THE FALL OF THE KING
Victoria gasped,
her hand flying to her mouth as she stared at the screen in horror.
"Father,
do something!"
she screamed,
turning to Arthur.
But Arthur Vance stood motionless,
his arms crossed,
his face cold and distant.
Grant scrambled off the stage,
tripping over the microphone cord,
nearly falling onto the floor.
"This is a lie!"
he shouted to the crowd,
his voice cracking,
his dignity completely shattered.
"Someone hacked our system!
This is a coordinated attack by my competitors!"
He looked around the room,
his eyes desperately searching for a friendly face,
but finding only disgust and pity.
And then,
his eyes locked onto me.
I stepped out of the shadows,
walking slowly down the center aisle,
the crowd parting to let me pass.
I stopped a few feet from him,
my face calm,
my posture elegant.
"It wasn't your competitors,
Grant,"
I said,
my voice carrying clearly through the silent room.
"It was me."
"Evelyn...
why?"
he whispered,
tears of rage and panic forming in his eyes.
"You destroyed my daughter's future for your own greed,"
I said,
not raising my voice,
but letting every word cut like a knife.
"You stole from the girl who trusted you,
to buy a ring for a woman who only loved your stolen money."
"I didn't destroy you,
Grant."
"You destroyed yourself,
the moment you underestimated me."
Just then,
the heavy glass doors of the venue opened,
and four police officers in uniform entered,
accompanied by two federal agents.
They walked straight toward Grant,
ignoring his protests and the gasps of the onlookers.
"Grant Caldwell,
you are under arrest for grand larceny,
embezzlement,
and financial fraud,"
the lead agent announced,
unclipping a pair of handcuffs.
Grant looked at the handcuffs,
then at me,
realizing that his gilded cage had finally collapsed.
"Evelyn,
please,
you can't do this!"
he begged as his hands were pulled behind his back,
the cold metal clicking into place.
"We are a family!"
"We were a family,"
I corrected him,
turning my back on him as the officers led him away.
"But you sold us out,
May you like
and now,
you have to pay the bill."
