Chapter 8 - The Mask Falls
Victoria let go of Arthur’s wrist instantly, taking a panicked step backward. Her face went pale as a sheet, but within seconds, she tried to force her practiced, charming smile onto her face.
"Daniel!" Victoria gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Thank God you're home! Arthur had another episode—he became violent and threw himself on the floor! Mother and I were just trying to help him up!"
Eleanor quickly chimed in, adjusting her coat. "Yes, Daniel. The poor man is completely unhinged. We were trying to keep him safe until the paramedics arrived."
Arthur remained on his knees, clutching his bruised wrist, weeping silently.
Daniel didn't look at Victoria. He walked past her as if she were a ghost, knelt down beside his father, and gently helped him to his feet.
"Did she hurt you, Dad?" Daniel asked softly.
"My wrist, Danny..." Arthur whispered. "She tried to force the ink."
Daniel examined his father's wrist. It was red, swollen, and stained with blue ink.
Daniel turned slowly to face Victoria and Eleanor. The coldness in his eyes made Victoria physically recoil.
"Officer Davis," Daniel said to the lead officer. "Would you like to see the live feed from twenty seconds ago?"
Victoria’s heart plummeted. "What... what live feed?"
Daniel took the remote control from the mantle and pressed power on the 75-inch flat-screen TV mounted on the living room wall.
Instantly, the TV illuminated. The video from the ceiling camera began playing with crystal-clear audio:
*“Listen to me, you decrepit old fool! You are nothing! You're an old dog who eats where I tell you to eat, sleeps where I tell you to sleep!”*
Then came Eleanor's slap. The sound cracked through the living room speakers like a gunshot.
Then Victoria's shrill voice: *“Daniel is a weak nobody! Just like you! He works for scraps while my family runs this town!”*
Eleanor's face drained of all color. She dropped her designer purse onto the floor.
Victoria stood frozen, her eyes wide with sheer terror. "Daniel... Daniel, wait! That wasn't... I was frustrated! You don't understand how stressful it's been caring for him!"
"Officers," Callahan stepped forward, displaying his bar card. "I am Thomas Callahan, legal counsel for Arthur Vance. We are pressing charges for felony elder abuse, assault, attempted grand larceny, and coercion. Arrest them both."
Officer Davis stepped forward, unclipping a pair of handcuffs. "Victoria Sterling, place your hands behind your back."
"No! Get your hands off me!" Victoria shrieked, backing away toward the kitchen. "Do you know who my father is?! He’s Harrison Sterling! He owns Sterling Logistics! He will have your badges by tomorrow morning!"
"Actually, Mrs. Vance," Callahan said smoothly, pulling a crisp legal document from his briefcase, "your father owns nothing. As of 2:15 PM today, by order of the majority shareholder Arthur Vance, Harrison Sterling has been formally removed as CEO of Sterling Logistics. Furthermore, the company’s operating accounts have been frozen pending a full forensic audit of thirty years of unpaid lease dividends."
Victoria stared at Callahan, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "What... what are you talking about?"
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"Your father’s entire company sits on land owned by the man you made eat beside a dog’s bowl," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "And as of right now, you are completely bankrupt."
***
