Chapter 9 - Total Devastation
"No... no, Claire, please!" Daniel wept openly, crawling across the floor like a dog, tears and snot smearing across his face. "Think of our memories! Think of everything we built! I made a mistake! It was Vanessa—she seduced me, she manipulated me into doing this! She wanted the money!"
"Vanessa is currently in holding cell three at Central Precinct," Ethan remarked coldly, crossing his arms. "And unlike you, she didn't waste any time crying. She gave the detectives the encryption keys to your hidden crypto wallet ten minutes after being booked. She traded your freedom for a reduced plea deal."
Daniel’s head snapped up, his face twisted in utter disbelief. "She... she gave you the wallet?"
"Every single cent," Sterling confirmed with a satisfied grin. "The five million dollars you embezzled from the Vance development account has already been recovered and frozen. In addition, Mrs. Vance has officially filed for an expedited emergency divorce on grounds of attempted murder and grand fraud."
The heavy oak doors opened once more. Two uniformed police officers stepped inside, handcuffs gleaming at their utility belts.
"Daniel Vance?" Officer Jenkins said. "Stand up. You are under arrest for attempted first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder, corporate embezzlement, and wire fraud."
Daniel didn't stand. He had to be dragged up by his arms, his expensive cashmere sweater tearing at the seams. His eyes were wide, glassy with absolute psychological collapse. As they clicked the handcuffs tightly around his wrists, he stared at me, his chest heaving with desperate, pathetic gasps.
"Claire... Claire, what about our child? I'm her father! You can't keep me from my daughter!"
I looked down at Victoria, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms, completely undisturbed by the monster who had tried to extinguish her life before she even took her first breath.
"You're not her father, Daniel," I said with absolute, unshakable finality. "A father protects his family. You're just a criminal who signed his own death warrant."
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The officers dragged Daniel toward the elevator. His screams of protest echoed down the long hallway, growing fainter and fainter until the heavy chime of the elevator bell silenced him completely.
***
