Chapter 6 - The Unraveling
The detective’s finger remained pointed straight at Bertha Vance.
In the suffocating silence of the boardroom, the silk-clad matriarch shrank back against the wall, her polished facade cracking.
"That... that is an outrage!" Bertha shrieked, her voice echoing off the glass walls. "I was trying to contain a hysterical woman! I am a pillar of this community!"
"What you were doing, Mrs. Vance," the detective replied coldly, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt, "was holding your daughter-in-law by her wrists while your son administered an illegal, unprescribed sedative."
A collective gasp swept through the corporate lawyers lined along the walls.
Roger Vance turned slowly toward his wife, his face completely drained of color. "Bertha... tell me that isn't true."
"She was going to ruin Derek's reputation, Roger!" Bertha yelled, tears of rage smearing her mascara. "She threatened to leave him! She was going to take Gideon away! I did what I had to do to protect this family!"
"You didn't protect this family," I said, my voice dangerously low as I walked around the mahogany table toward her. "You turned your son into a monster, and then you helped him destroy my daughter."
Derek made a desperate move toward the rear fire exit, but the second detective moved with practiced speed. He tackled Derek against the wall, forcing his arms behind his back. The sharp clack of handcuffs clicking into place echoed like a gunshot.
"Derek Vance, you are under arrest for felony assault, domestic violence, and unlawful restraint," the detective declared.
"Mom! Dad! Help me!" Derek screamed, struggling wildly as he was hoisted to his feet.
Bertha held out her hands, sobbing, but the first detective snapped handcuffs around her wrists as well. "Bertha Vance, you are under arrest for accomplice liability, assault, and tampering with evidence."
May you like
As the detectives marched Derek and Bertha out of the executive boardroom past dozens of staring, whispering employees, Roger Vance fell back into his leather chair, staring blankly at the polished table.
His family was gone. His company was ruined. And he was left alone in the wreckage.
