Chapter 6 - The Arrest And The Collapse Of The Alliance
"Calvin Montgomery?" the lead officer asked, stepping forward with a leather folder in hand.
Calvin froze, his face turning an ash-gray color. "There's... there's been some mistake. This is a civil matter. It's a family dispute—"
"It's a criminal matter involving wire fraud, identity theft, and attempted probate forgery," the officer interrupted smoothly, pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. "Turn around and place your hands behind your back."
Panic erupted in the room. Tabitha screamed, backing away until she hit the wood-paneled wall, her designer trench coat rustling wildly. "Arrest him! Arrest him, he did it all! I had nothing to do with it! He told me the house was legally ours!"
Calvin glared at her with venomous hatred, his voice turning shrill. "You greedy little liar! You were the one pushing me to get the signature so we could sell the property and buy that penthouse in the city! Don't you dare put this on me!"
"Shut up, Calvin! You promised me everything!" Tabitha shrieked, bursting into hysterical tears as mascara ran down her cheeks.
The officers ignored their shouting, efficiently clicking the handcuffs around Calvin’s wrists and reading him his rights. As they hauled him toward the exit, Calvin threw one last desperate, murderous look in my direction.
"This isn't over, Paige!" he yelled as they dragged him through the double doors. "You won't get away with this! I'll ruin you!"
"Take him away," Penelope said dismissively, not even bothering to look up.
Once the heavy oak doors closed, the conference room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. Tabitha slumped against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the carpet, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands. No one offered her a tissue. No one offered her comfort. She had reaped precisely what she had sown.
Kyle was still weeping quietly at the table, his head bowed low.
I stood up slowly, smoothing down the front of my black dress. I looked down at my brother—the boy who had once helped me plant those very same white roses when we were children, before greed and weak character poisoned his mind.
"Paige..." Kyle choked out, looking up with red, swollen eyes. "Please... I'm sorry. I was an idiot. Calvin manipulated me... he told me—"
"Stop, Kyle," I said softly, my voice devoid of anger, carrying only a quiet, final sorrow. "Dad gave you every chance. You made your bed. Now you have to lie in it."
I turned away from him and walked toward the exit, Penelope following close behind.
"Are you alright, my dear?" Penelope asked gently as we stepped out into the bright afternoon sunlight.
May you like
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the crisp, clean air of the city. For the first time in months, the heavy weight pressing down on my chest was gone.
"I'm more than alright, Penelope," I replied, a small, genuine smile forming on my lips. "I'm going home."
