Chapter 5 - The Arrests
"Marcus Vance, turn around and place your hands behind your back," the first officer commanded, stepping into the living room.
Marcus looked around wildly, as if contemplating running, but the sheer physical presence of the two officers and my husband, a trained military officer, made him think twice. He slowly turned around, his shoulders slumping, and let out a soft sob as the metal cuffs clicked shut around his wrists.
"Tessa Vance, face the wall and put your hands behind your back," the second officer said.
Tessa began to cry hysterically, her expensive makeup running down her face in dark streaks. "Marcus, do something! Call our lawyer! Gloria, help us!"
Gloria stood frozen, her face pale and her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She looked at her son, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief. "Daniel... please. You can't do this. He's your brother. She's your sister-in-law. What will people say? What will our friends at the club say if they see them in handcuffs?"
"They'll say you raised two criminals, Gloria," Daniel said, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "And they'll be right."
"And what about me?" Gloria whispered, her voice trembling as she looked at Agent Miller. "Are... are you going to arrest me too?"
Agent Miller looked at his notepad. "Gloria Vance, you are currently under active federal investigation for the unauthorized access and draining of a military deployment account. While we are not executing an arrest warrant for you tonight, you are being officially served with a federal subpoena to appear before a grand jury next Tuesday. You are also officially banned from entering this property."
"Banned?" Gloria gasped, looking at the house as if she couldn't believe her ears. "I am his mother! I have a key!"
"Not anymore, you don't," I said, pulling my phone from my pocket and tapping the screen. A loud, electronic click echoed from the front door as the smart-locks automatically updated their access codes, deleting her registered footprint. "I updated the security encryption five minutes ago. Your access is officially revoked."
"You... you monster," Gloria hissed at me, her eyes filled with a desperate, impotent rage. "You've ruined my family."
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"Your family ruined themselves, Gloria," Daniel said, stepping in front of me to shield me from her gaze. "You thought Elara was weak because she was gentle. You thought you could abuse her, steal from us, and treat her like a servant because I was away. But you forgot one very important thing: my wife is a protector. She protects companies, she protects charities, and she protects our home. Now, get out of our house before I have these officers escort you out in cuffs too."
Gloria looked at her son, realizing for the first time that her hold over him was completely, irrevocably broken. She turned around, her head held low, and walked out the open front door into the cold, dark night.
