Chapter 7 - The Arrest and the Lawsuits
Margaret collapsed onto a velvet chair, sobbing hysterically into her hands, while Paige stood frozen near the fireplace, breathing heavily in absolute panic.
"You ruined us, Gavin!" Paige screamed, tears ruining her heavy mascara. "You set us up! There was never any corporate million-dollar matching grant, was there? There was never four hundred thousand dollars!"
"No, Paige," I said, leaning against the edge of the dining table as Gwen walked over to stand quietly by my side, her hand tucked safely into mine. "There was no corporate grant. But there is a real corporate legal contract—the one Mom signed on Tuesday."
Arthur Pendelton pulled three legal notices from his briefcase and laid them flat in front of Margaret.
"Mrs. Miller," Arthur announced calmly. "By executing the Asset Integration Agreement under false pretenses of personal equity ownership, you breached clause fourteen of the G&G Global Holdings LLC master agreement. Effective as of 4:00 PM today, full title ownership of this residence at 742 Elmwood Lane, the 2025 Ford F-150, and all associated liquid bank accounts containing $95,400 have been legally transferred to the sole ownership of Gwen Miller."
Margaret’s head snapped up. "What?! You... you stole my house?!"
"It was never your house, Margaret," Gwen spoke up, her voice clear, steady, and remarkably strong. "It was bought with Gavin's blood money while you starved me in the dark. You don't own a single brick here. You don't even own the chair you are sitting on."
Outside, red and blue strobe lights began flashing against the gold-painted front gates. Heavy boots thudded up the paved driveway, and within seconds, four uniformed officers from the Springfield Police Department, led by Detective Miller and accompanied by process servers, stepped through the open front doors.
"Margaret Miller? Paige Miller?" Detective Miller asked, pulling a set of official arrest warrants from his coat pocket.
Margaret gasped, clutching her chest. "Yes... officer! Thank God you're here! My son and his crazy wife are trying to steal my property! Arrest them!"
"Mrs. Miller, you and your daughter are under arrest," Detective Miller stated firmly. "Charges include Grand Larceny over $100,000, Financial Exploitation of a Dependent Adult, Felony Medical Neglect, and Criminal Abuse. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Two officers stepped forward, pulling steel handcuffs from their utility belts.
"No! Get off me!" Paige shrieked as an officer grabbed her wrists, snapping the cold steel cuffs onto her hands. "Gavin! Stop them! Tell them it was a mistake! I’m your sister! I’m your sister!"
"You stopped being my sister the day you laughed at my wife selling her hair to survive, Paige," I said coldly, turning my back on her.
"Gavin! Please!" Margaret wailed as she was hauled up from her chair, her silk red dress tearing slightly against the armrest as officers pulled her hands behind her back. "I'm your mother! I gave you life! You can't do this to your mother!"
"A real mother doesn't starve her son's wife," I replied, looking her dead in the eye. "Take them away."
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As Margaret and Paige were marched out of the front doors in handcuffs, kicking, screaming, and sobbing in front of news reporters who had been tipped off by Arthur’s office, a process server stepped forward and slapped two thick civil summonses onto the marble table.
"Civil lawsuits for three million dollars in personal injury, emotional distress, and punitive damages," Arthur called out after them. "We'll see you in court, ladies."
