Chapter 4 - The House of Cards Collapses**
“Mason Miller,” the lead federal agent said, his voice echoing off the glass walls as he stepped up behind my brother-in-law and slapped steel handcuffs onto his wrists. “You are under arrest for wire fraud, bank fraud, forgery, and conspiracy to commit corporate embezzlement.”
“No, wait—there’s a mistake!” Mason shrieked, thrashing backward as the agent forced him down into his chair. “Gavin! Do something! Tell them!”
Gavin lunged forward, slamming his palms onto the table. “Arthur, this is a hostile takeover! You’re manipulating the board! I want my lawyers! I want—!”
“You want a cellmate, Mr. Pierce,” a cold, familiar voice echoed from the doorway.
The federal agents parted, and I stepped into the boardroom.
I wasn't wearing my wet blouse or my old worn-out jeans. I wore a tailored midnight-blue Armani pantsuit, my hair pulled back into a sleek, professional chignon, my posture straight and absolute. Behind me walked two specialized federal forensic auditors holding certified copies of every single asset-tracing document I had compiled over the past week.
Gavin froze. His jaw dropped so low I thought it might unhinge. He stared at me as if I were a ghost risen from the grave.
“S-Sabrina?” he choked out, his voice cracking horribly. “What... what are you doing here? How are you—?”
“Surprised to see me out from under the bridge, Gavin?” I asked, stepping up to the end of the table and resting my hand right beside the metal recording pen.
Charlotte Gable jumped to her feet, her face contorted with hysterical rage. “You! You bitch! You ruined everything! Gavin, have her arrested! She broke into the office, she stole our files—!”
“Shut up, Charlotte,” one of the federal agents snapped, stepping over and placing a firm hand on her shoulder. “You’re also being detained as an unindicted co-conspirator in corporate fund misappropriation and tax evasion.”
Charlotte’s face went completely blank. She stumbled backward, her expensive Chanel bag spilling its contents across the carpet.
Gavin looked back and forth between the federal agents, Charlotte in handcuffs, and me standing at the head of the table like an executioner. His arrogance completely evaporated, replaced by a pathetic, trembling terror. He fell to his knees right there on the boardroom floor, grabbing blindly at the hem of my trousers.
“Sabrina... baby... please,” he sobbed, his voice cracking into a pathetic whine. “It was a mistake! Charlotte meant nothing to me, she manipulated me! And the belt... I was just stressed about the deal, please, you know how hard things have been! Drop the charges, save me! We’re husband and wife!”
I looked down at the man who had beaten me five times with a leather belt just forty-eight hours ago, telling me I was a mediocre woman who had nothing of her own.
I reached down, gently untangling his trembling fingers from my trousers, and stepped back.
“We were husband and wife, Gavin,” I said softly, my voice completely devoid of emotion. “Until you signed the divorce papers yesterday. Remember? You told me to get out without a penny. Well, I’m honoring your wishes. You get to keep every single penny of the forty million dollars in fraudulent debt your brother-in-law tied to my name. Only now... it’s legally yours.”
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The federal agents hoisted Gavin up by his arms, dragging him kicking and screaming toward the double doors, right past the media crews that Arthur Sterling had thoughtfully assembled in the hallway outside.
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