Chapter 5 - The Snake's Last Bite
Stripped of their wealth, my family did exactly what rats do when corners are turned—they attacked the foundation.
Two days after the eviction, a massive headline hit the Dallas Morning News and quickly spread across national media outlets: "RESTAURANT TYCOON LEO BENNETT ACCUSED OF ABANDONING ELDERLY MOTHER AND SIBLINGS IN A FIT OF PARANOIA."
The article featured an interview with Margaret and Jennifer, conducted in a cheap motel room on the outskirts of the city. They looked intentionally disheveled. Margaret wore a plain cotton blouse, crying heavily into a cheap paper tissue, claiming that I had been "brainwashed" by Emma and that I had violently thrown them onto the street without a dollar to their names after they spent five years building my company.
The public reaction was immediate. In the age of social media, the internet loved a scandal. Activists began calling for a boycott of Leo’s Kitchen locations across the country. Stock prices for my luxury real estate holdings dipped by four percent in a single afternoon.
I sat in my downtown corporate boardroom, the glass windows showing the sweeping view of the Dallas skyline. Julian Vance and Arthur sat opposite me, alongside my public relations team, who looked panicked.
"The public relations damage is spreading, Leo," the PR director said, sweating through his collar. "We’ve had three major investors call from New York, threatening to pull out of the upcoming European expansion if we don't issue a public apology or settle this privately with your mother. The optics look terrible."
"An apology?" I asked, a dangerous, low chuckle escaping my throat. "For what? For stopping them from abusing my wife?"
"The public doesn't know the truth yet, Leo," Julian Vance said calmly, leaning back in his chair. "They only see an elderly mother crying on television. But we have the ultimate counter-strike. We received the grand jury indictments an hour ago. The District Attorney has issued formal arrest warrants for Margaret, Jennifer, and Michael Bennett for felony extortion, identity theft, and corporate fraud."
"Are they in custody?" I asked.
"Not yet," Julian said, checking his tablet. "The police went to their motel, but they had already checked out. It seems Michael had a hidden emergency cash reserve—probably stolen from the regional office—and they are currently on the run. They’re trying to reach the Mexican border."
Suddenly, my personal phone buzzed on the mahogany table. It was an unknown number.
I tapped the speakerphone.
"Leo," a voice hissed. It was Jennifer, her voice no longer crying or fragile, but manic, desperate, and filled with venom. "You think you’ve won? Look out your office window. Or better yet, check the security feed of your precious flagship restaurant downtown."
My heart stopped. The flagship restaurant was Leo’s Kitchen Downtown, the original location where I had started it all—and the place where Emma was currently staying in the private luxury penthouse suite on the top floor, protected by our security team.
"Jennifer," I growled, my voice dropping into a register that made the entire boardroom go silent. "If you are anywhere near Emma—"
"I’m not," Jennifer laughed hysterically. "But Michael is. And he’s got a container of commercial industrial accelerant from your own kitchen supply room. You stripped us of our lives, Leo! You threw us in the dirt! If we’re going to jail, we’re burning your entire legacy down with us. Tell your lawyers to drop the charges and wire ten million dollars to an offshore account in Cabo, or your precious flagship—and your precious wife—will burn to ash."
The line went dead.
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I stood up so fast my heavy leather chair flipped backward, crashing into the glass wall.
"Julian! Call the fire department and the SWAT team!" I yelled, already running toward the boardroom doors. "They’re at the flagship! Emma is inside!"
