Chapter 5 - THE CONFESSION
The mention of twelve million dollars and offshore skimming sucked the remaining air out of the grand foyer. Derek collapsed completely, his forehead resting against the wood floor, trembling uncontrollably.
"Julian," Derek choked out, barely audible. "Julian, tell them it’s not true..."
Julian, however, was already backing away toward the kitchen door, his face sheet-white. "I told you not to touch those accounts, Derek! I told you the escrow audits would catch up to us! I’m not going to federal prison for you!" Julian turned on his heel and sprinted through the back exit, the heavy door slamming behind him.
"So much for family loyalty," Chloe remarked calmly.
Evelyn dropped heavily onto the bottom step of the staircase, her expensive makeup running down her wrinkled cheeks in grotesque streaks. "Twelve million dollars? Derek, tell me you didn't steal from your clients. Tell me you didn't steal from the country club trust!"
"I was going to put it back!" Derek wept openly now, all traces of the smug, arrogant groom from breakfast vanished into pathetic sniveling. "The retail mall was supposed to clear thirty million! I was going to replace every penny before the annual audit! Chloe, please! You have billions! You can cover the shortfall! If you cover it, nobody has to go to prison! I’ll sign whatever you want! I’ll be whatever you want!"
Chloe walked over to the antique console table, where the silver breakfast tray still sat. Resting on the tray was the filthy, wet floor rag Derek had thrown at her feet just three hours earlier.
She picked it up by two fingers and walked back over to where Derek knelt in the dirt and shattered glass.
She dropped the rag onto the floor in front of his face.
"Pick it up," Chloe ordered.
Derek stared at the dirty cloth, his chest heaving with rapid, shallow breaths. "What?"
"Pick it up, Derek. You wanted an initiation into family reality this morning. Let's finish the lesson."
With shaking, humiliated hands, Derek reached out and picked up the damp, dirty rag.
"You thought power came from intimidating someone you believed was weak," Chloe said, looking down at him with absolute detachment. "You thought that because I was quiet, I was defenseless. You and your mother built a fantasy out of stolen money and borrowed prestige, and you tried to cement it by breaking my dignity."
"I'm sorry," Derek sobbed, tears splashing onto the rag in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. Please don't destroy me."
"I'm not destroying you, Derek. You destroyed yourself the moment you committed wire fraud. I'm simply turning on the lights so the authorities can see the wreckage." She turned to Marcus. "Call the United States Attorney's office for the Southern District. Hand over the offshore account files, the encrypted Belize ledgers, and the witness testimony from the brokerage clerks."
"No! No, please!" Evelyn shrieked, crawling across the floor toward Chloe, her dignity completely shattered as she reached out to touch the hem of Chloe's slacks. "Chloe, have mercy! He’s your husband! We are family in the eyes of God!"
Chloe stepped back cleanly, avoiding Evelyn's clutching fingers.
"In the eyes of the law, our marriage has not yet been registered with the municipal court clerk," Chloe revealed with a faint, chilling smile. "The officiant had twenty-four hours to file the signed certificate. My security team intercepted him at the gate forty minutes ago. The certificate was never submitted. Legally speaking, Evelyn, I am not your daughter-in-law. I am simply your landlord, your primary creditor, and the woman holding the evidence that will put your son behind bars for the next fifteen years."
Evelyn let out a choked gasp and slumped against the bottom step, staring at Chloe as if looking at a ghost.
May you like
Outside, the quiet hum of heavy diesel engines rumbled up the winding driveway. Chloe walked over to the front door and looked out. Two black law-enforcement SUVs had just pulled past the estate gates, followed closely by three large moving vans bearing the logo of Apex Asset Management.
The reckoning had arrived.
