Chapter 5 - The Glass House Shatters"What did you just say to me?" Madison gasped, recoiling as if she had been slapped.
By now, the ambient noise in the ballroom had completely died down. The wealthy elites of Charleston—bankers, judges, politicians, and socialites—turned around in their seats, sensing blood in the water.
My father and mother rushed down from the head table, followed closely by Arthur and Victoria Collins.
"Ashley!" my father barked, trying to grab my arm. Ryan stepped smoothly between them, his towering presence forcing my father to halt. "Get out of here right now! You’ve embarrassed this family enough!"
"I embarrassed you?" I laughed out loud—a bright, clear sound that rang through the quiet room. "Dad, you forged my signature on a land deed to steal my grandfather's $1.8 million estate so you could take out a fraudulent $600,000 bridge loan!"
Gasps erupted across the room.
Victoria Collins put a manicured hand over her chest, gasping loud enough to be heard three tables away. "Arthur... what is she talking about?"
"She’s lying!" Eleanor shrieked, her voice cracking with desperation as she grabbed Arthur Collins’ arm. "She’s insane! She’s jealous because her own little wedding was a pathetic cheap failure, so she’s trying to sabotage Madison’s marriage into your wonderful family!"
"Is that right, Mom?" I said coolly, pulling a stapled document from Ryan’s inner jacket pocket and holding it up for the entire room to see. "Because this is a certified copy of the confession signed four hours ago by Marcus Vance. You know Marcus, right, Jake?"
I looked past my parents to where my brother Jake was standing near the bar. He had gone deathly pale, his drink shaking so badly ice rattled against the glass.
"Marcus confessed to taking a $5,000 bribe from Jake to notarize a forged quitclaim deed," I continued, turning to address Arthur Collins directly. "And Mr. Collins... the $200,000 'investment deposit' my father wired into your firm this morning? That wasn't his money. It was the proceeds of federal bank fraud committed against my estate."
Arthur Collins turned slowly to look at my father. His expression shifted from mild confusion to pure, icy disgust. "Richard... is this true?"
"No! Arthur, listen to me—" Richard stammered, sweat breaking out across his forehead. "It's an internal family dispute! She’s just a vindictive—"
Before he could finish the sentence, the grand double doors of the ballroom slammed open.
Four uniformed police officers and Detective Miller strode into the room, their heavy tactical boots thudding against the polished floor. The heavy silence of the ballroom turned into absolute chaos.
"Richard Morgan? Eleanor Morgan? Jake Morgan?" Detective Miller announced, his voice carrying an authority that crushed all chatter in the room.
My mother let out a high-pitched scream.
"You have the right to remain silent," Detective Miller said, stepping up to my father and snapping silver handcuffs around his wrists. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
"Get your hands off him!" Eleanor screamed, attempting to swat at the officer, only for a female deputy to catch her arm, spin her around, and cuff her hands behind her back. "Ashley! Tell them to stop! Tell them it’s a mistake! ASHLEY!"
"It's no mistake, Eleanor," I said, standing inches away from her as she struggled against the restraint. "You skipped my wedding for an engagement dinner. I hope you enjoy the dinner they serve in county jail."
Jake tried to slip out through the service exit near the kitchen, but two officers tackled him to the floor near the ice sculpture, pinning his arms behind his back as he began to cry out in pathetic sob-filled protests.
Madison fell to her knees in her pristine white dress, weeping hysterically. "Blake! Blake, help them! Do something!"
Blake Collins looked at his father. Arthur Collins didn't even look back at Madison. He simply adjusted his tuxedo jacket, looked at his son, and said, "Take off the ring, Blake. We're leaving."
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"Blake, please!" Madison sobbed, grabbing his trousers.
Blake pulled away from her grip as if she were contagious. He unceremoniously reached down, pulled the 3-carat diamond ring off her finger, tossed it into her lap, and walked away with his parents, trailing behind the police officers who were hauling my mother, father, and brother out into the night.
