Chapter 6 - The Shattered Hero
Andrew spun around, his eyes wild with panic and fury. He spotted me standing near the edge of the front table.
"You!" Andrew shrieked, all pretense of gentlemanly charm evaporating as his face contorted into an ugly, violent snarl. "You ungrateful little bitch! You went to Carter?! I gave you everything! I took care of your dying mother! You think you can destroy me?!"
He charged toward me with raised fists, but before he could cross five feet, three plainclothes NYPD detectives tackled him to the carpeted floor.
The sound of Andrew’s face hitting the floor echoed through the front rows. The crystal glasses on our table rattled as the officers forced his arms behind his back, clicking steel handcuffs tightly around his wrists.
"Andrew Vaughn," Detective Miller barked into the microphone on his lapel. "You are under arrest pursuant to an emergency warrant for aggravated domestic felony assault, felony healthcare fraud, and grand larceny."
"Do you know who I am?!" Andrew screamed, struggling violently against the floor as cameras flashed from every media outlet in the room. "I am the chief of pediatric surgery! The Mayor is a personal friend! Call my lawyers!"
The Mayor stood up from his VIP seat, looked down at Andrew with pure disgust, and turned his back, walking toward the exit.
As the officers hauled Andrew to his feet and escorted him through the center aisle in disgrace, the guests parted like the Red Sea, recording his downfall on hundreds of smartphones.
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Andrew caught my eye one last time. I stood tall, unbowed, looking at him with clear, untrembling eyes.
The golden cage had finally shattered.
