Chapter 19 - The Fall of the House of Lies
"You think I care about prison?!" Vanessa sobbed hysterically, her finger tightening on the trigger. "You took my money! You took my status! You took my life!"
"You took those things from yourself the moment you planted that necklace," Emily replied coldly, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. "You chose to lie. You chose to frame me. You chose to be a coward."
"Don't take another step!" Vanessa yelled, her weapon swaying wildly between Emily and Daniel.
Suddenly, the night sky was torn apart by flashing red and blue lights.
A fleet of state police cruisers, sirens wailing violently, tore across the estate grounds, surrounding the helipad from every direction. Heavy searchlights cut through the dark rain, blinding Vanessa and pinning her in a sea of white light.
"STATE POLICE! DROP THE WEAPON NOW!" a booming voice commanded over a megaphone.
Tactical officers stepped out from behind the cruiser doors, weapons raised and trained directly on Vanessa.
Margaret instantly fell to her knees on the wet asphalt, throwing her hands over her head, sobbing hysterically. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! It was all her idea! She made me do it!"
"Mother?!" Vanessa gasped, looking down at her mother in complete, utter betrayal.
That split second of distraction was all Daniel needed. He lunged forward, grabbing Vanessa’s wrist and twisting the weapon away from her. The gun clattered harmlessly onto the wet pavement before Daniel forced Vanessa to the ground.
Within seconds, tactical officers swarmed the helipad, pushing Vanessa down and forcing her arms behind her back into heavy steel handcuffs.
"Vanessa Vance, you are under arrest for attempted murder, grand larceny, framing, and corporate fraud," the lead officer declared, pulling her up from the ground.
Vanessa screamed and thrashed, her makeup smeared across her wet face, looking completely undone. As officers dragged her past Emily, Vanessa locked eyes with the former maid.
"This isn't over!" Vanessa spat, her voice raspy and broken. "You'll never belong in this world, Emily! You're just a servant!"
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Emily wiped the rainwater from her face, looking down at the woman who had tried to destroy her life.
"I might have been a servant," Emily said softly, but clearly enough for everyone to hear. "But at least I was never a monster."
