Chapter 3 - The Exodus from the Garden
The garden erupted into total bedlam.
Guests began whispering loudly, backing away from Robert and Helen as if they carried a contagious plague. Corporate investors who had spent the afternoon kissing Robert’s hand suddenly slipped away toward the exit, desperately dialing their board members to pull their capital before the news broke.
Two black sedans pulled up outside the wrought-iron gates. Four men in dark suits stepped out, carrying federal badges.
"Julian Vane?" the lead agent called out over the crowd. "You are under arrest for federal bank fraud, wire fraud, and grand larceny."
Julian dropped his phone, turned around, and tried to run toward the hedge line, but Marcus stepped into his path, grabbed him by the collar, and brought him to the ground in one swift, effortless movement. The heavy click of handcuffs echoed across the silent lawn.
"Thomas!" Helen cried, her arrogant facade completely shattering as she grabbed Thomas’s sleeve. "Thomas, please! He’s your cousin! He’s family! You can't let them take him! Think of the family name!"
Thomas looked down at her hand on his jacket. He didn't shake her off violently. He simply looked into her eyes with a cold, absolute detachment that cut deeper than any knife.
"When my eight-year-old son asked you for a glass of water an hour ago," Thomas said softly, "you told him that servants don't drink until the work is finished. Where was the family name then, Helen?"
Helen opened her mouth, but no words came out. Tears of panic began to smudge her thick makeup.
Robert pushed himself up off the lawn, his jaw clenching as he tried to regain some shred of authority. "You think you’ve won, Thomas? You take this house, you take the business—fine! But you’re still a murderer! You couldn't save Sarah! You left her to die in that clinic while you were off building your secret company!"
Rebecca gasped, stepping back, but Thomas’s expression didn't change.
"Sarah died because the experimental treatment was delayed by three weeks," Thomas said, his voice dropping an octave into pure, lethal focus. "And do you know why it was delayed, Robert?"
Robert's eyes darted sideways. A subtle, subconscious twitch in his hands revealed his sudden dread.
"Because the pharmaceutical logistics firm that withheld the imported medicine was owned by a subsidiary of Vane Enterprises," Thomas revealed, his voice shaking the ground beneath them. "You blocked the shipment because you wanted me broken. You wanted me to come back on my knees so I would sign over Sarah’s patent to your firm."
May you like
The remaining guests froze in absolute horror. Even the police officers arresting Julian stopped, looking over at Robert with looks of utter disgust.
"You didn't just neglect us, Father," Thomas whispered, stepping right up to Robert’s face. "You killed my wife. And today, I take back every single thing she bled for."
