Chapter 8 - The Cornered Predator
"Get away from her, Victoria," Arthur commanded, stepping in front of me, his body rigid and defensive.
Victoria laughed, a cold, dry sound that echoed off the steel shelves. "Or what, Arthur? You'll sue me? With what money? Your little public defense practice is nothing compared to the legal army I employ. You're in my house now. And you are currently trespassing and stealing private corporate property."
"This isn't corporate property," I said, stepping out from behind Arthur, holding the file tightly against my chest. I looked Victoria dead in the eye, my voice steady and cold. "This is evidence of kidnapping, chemical torture, and financial fraud. The federal prosecutors are going to love reading your signature on these directives, Victoria."
Victoria’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, her eyes darting to the file in my hands. But she quickly recovered her icy composure.
"You think you can destroy me with a few pieces of paper?" she sneered. "Who do you think the police will believe? A mentally unstable woman who has been missing and presumed dead for five years, or the head of a multi-billion dollar charitable foundation? I can have you committed back to Whispering Pines before the sun sets today, Evelyn. And this time, I’ll make sure the dosage is permanent."
"I don't think so," Arthur said, pulling his phone from his pocket and turning the screen to face her.
It showed a live-streaming application.
"We’ve been live-streaming this entire interaction to a secure cloud server, witnessed by Dr. Marcus Vance and three journalists from the New York Times," Arthur revealed, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. "Every word you just said—including your threat to commit her and increase the dosage—has just been broadcasted to the world. The police aren't coming to arrest us, Victoria. They're coming for you."
Just then, the distant, wailing sirens of NYPD police cruisers echoed through the concrete walls of the sub-basement.
Victoria’s face went completely pale. The manicured hands clutching her bag began to shake. The security guards behind her looked at each other, slowly stepping away from their boss, realizing they were on a sinking ship.
"You... you bitch," Victoria hissed, her elegant facade completely crumbling into ugly, desperate rage.
"The name is Maya," I said, a calm, victorious smile spreading across my face. "But to you... I am the ghost that is going to take back everything you stole."
The heavy steel doors burst open, and a team of federal agents and NYPD officers flooded the room, their weapons drawn.
"Victoria Sterling," the lead agent declared, stepping forward with handcuffs. "You are under arrest for conspiracy, kidnapping, and corporate financial fraud."
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As the handcuffs clicked around Victoria’s wrists, she screamed and thrashed, her elegant blonde hair falling wildly over her face. She looked pathetic, a cornered predator finally stripped of her claws.
Arthur wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close as we watched her get led away. "It's over, Evelyn," he whispered, kissing the top of my head. "It's finally over."
