Chapter 5 - The Glass Lobby
The ground floor of Thorne Tower was a cathedral of glass, white marble, and polished steel. Security guards had formed a tight perimeter around Carter Vance, who was sweating profusely, his suit wrinkled, his hair disheveled. Outside the glass revolving doors, dozens of news cameras were flashing, reporters pressing their microphones against the glass.
"Let me see my wife!" Carter screamed at the chief of security. "I know she's up there! You have no legal right to keep a husband from his wife!"
The private express elevator chimed softly.
The heavy chrome doors slid open, and Rourke Thorne stepped out, followed by six armed guards, Gerald Vance, and Brenley.
When Carter saw Brenley, his face lit up with a mix of desperation and phony remorse. He broke away from the security line and rushed forward, falling onto his knees ten feet away from her as the security team blocked his path.
"Brenley! Brenley, baby, please!" Carter cried out, tears streaming down his face. "Look at me! I was wrong! I was completely out of my mind! My mother forced me to say those things yesterday! You know how she is—she manipulated me!"
Brenley walked forward slowly, stopping just behind the line of security guards. She looked down at the man kneeling before her—the man she had once wept over, the man who had allowed his mother to pour dirty water over her head. He looked small, pathetic, and utterly hollow.
"Your mother didn't force you to lie to me for two years, Carter," Brenley said, her voice clear and resonance filling the vast marble lobby. "She didn't force you to bring your mistress into our home. And she certainly didn't force you to say that she was taking my child."
"It was a mistake! A terrible joke!" Carter sobbed, reaching through the space between two guards, his hands clawing at the air. "I love you, Brenley! I've always loved you! We can fix this! We can go away together, just you, me, and the baby! We don't need my mother, and we don't need your father's money!"
"You're right about one thing," Brenley said coldly. "We don't need you."
"Brenley, please!" Carter begged, looking up at her with bloodshot eyes. "They're arresting my mother! They frozen all my accounts! I have nothing left!"
"You had a wife who loved you unconditionally," Brenley replied softly, her words cutting through the air like a razor. "You had a family that was willing to support you for the rest of your life. But you traded it all for greed, pride, and cruelty. You didn't lose everything today, Carter. You threw it away."
At that moment, the revolving doors swung open. Four uniformed police officers walked into the lobby, led by Detective Miller.
"Carter Vance?" Detective Miller announced, taking out a pair of steel handcuffs.
Carter froze, turning his head slowly toward the officers. "No... no, wait! This is a family matter! We're resolving it!"
"You are under arrest for felony domestic endangerment, conspiracy to commit child abduction, and obstruction of justice," Detective Miller said firmly, grabbing Carter by his arms and pulling him to his feet.
"Brenley! Tell them to stop!" Carter screamed as the steel cuffs clicked tightly around his wrists. "Help me! I'm the father of your baby!"
Brenley didn't flinch. She stepped back, slipping her arm through her father's offered elbow.
"You're not a father, Carter," Brenley said as the police turned him toward the door, where the flashing cameras captured every second of his humiliation. "You're just a regret I'm erasing from my life."
As Carter was led away into the back of a police cruiser, Rourke looked down at his daughter, his eyes brimming with pride.
"How do you feel, sweetheart?" Rourke asked softly.
May you like
Brenley turned her face toward the warm sun shining through the glass lobby. She placed her hand over her baby, feeling a soft, healthy kick against her palm.
"I feel free, Dad," she smiled. "Now... let's go tear down that mansion."
