CHAP 4: THE FALL OF THE PRODIGAL SON — THE ARREST AND THE AFFAIR
Viral Title: 🚨 THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL! Daniel realized his wife was sleeping with his worst enemy and planning to frame him! The shocking moment the cuffs went on—and who the secret lover turned out to be! 😱💔👇
Before Daniel’s hands could reach Marissa’s throat, Viktor’s two massive associates moved with lightning speed. One of them grabbed Daniel by the collar of his shirt, throwing him to the ground with effortless force, pinning him down with a heavy boot to his back. The other associate stepped between Marissa and the falling Daniel, his hand resting menacingly on his waistline.
"Get off me! Let me go!" Daniel shrieked from the grass, his face pressed into the dirt. "She set me up! Marissa, you betrayed me! Who was that? Who were you talking to on that tape?!"
Marissa stood frozen, her face completely pale, her eyes darting toward her car. But there was nowhere to run.
"I believe I can answer that question, Daniel," Marcus said, stepping down from the porch to join Linda. He tapped the screen of his tablet once more, bringing up a financial spreadsheet and a series of photographs.
"The voice on that recording belongs to a man named Thomas Miller," Marcus announced, his voice echoing across the lawn. "Thomas is a senior lending officer at Viktor’s firm. He’s also the man who approved Daniel’s forged loan application without verifying Linda’s signature. And, according to the hotel records and bank transfers I subpoenaed yesterday, he has been Marissa’s lover for the past eighteen months."
Daniel let out a pathetic, guttural groan from the ground. "Thomas? My... my business partner? The guy who introduced me to Viktor?"
"The very same," Marcus nodded. "Thomas and Marissa orchestrated your financial downfall, Daniel. They encouraged you to take out loans you couldn't pay, knowing that when you defaulted, you would try to steal your mother's house. The plan was always to let you take the blame for the forgery, go to prison, while Marissa and Thomas split the money and ran."
Viktor’s face went completely still. His eyes drifted from Marcus to Marissa, then to the tablet. The air around him seemed to drop ten degrees.
"Thomas Miller," Viktor said, his voice flat and dangerous. "He works for me. He approved this loan. He told me the collateral was verified."
"He lied to you, Viktor," Marcus said, looking the loan shark dead in the eye. "He was using your capital to fund his escape with Marissa. I’ve already sent the evidence of their embezzlement to the State Police and the FBI's financial crimes division. Thomas is currently being arrested at his office as we speak."
Viktor closed his eyes for a brief second, nodding slowly. When he opened them, the cold calculation in his gaze was terrifying. He looked at Marissa, who was now visibly shaking, her knees knocking together beneath her trench coat.
"You thought you could steal from me?" Viktor whispered to Marissa. "You and Thomas? You thought you could use my money to run away to Mexico?"
"No! Viktor, please! It wasn't like that!" Marissa cried, stumbling backward. "Thomas forced me! He threatened to tell Daniel about us if I didn't help him! Please, you have to believe me!"
"I don't need to believe you," Viktor said calmly. He turned to his associates. "Take her bags. And call our associates in the city. Tell them we have some assets to liquidate."
"Wait!" Linda’s voice rang out, stopping Viktor’s men in their tracks.
Linda walked over to where Daniel was still pinned to the ground. She looked down at her son—his face covered in dirt, his eyes red from crying, his spirit completely broken. Then she looked at Marissa, the woman who had brought nothing but poison into her family.
"This is my property, Viktor," Linda said, her voice filled with an undeniable authority. "I will not have any violence or kidnapping on my land. The police are already at the end of the road. If your men touch either of them, you will be arrested alongside them."
Viktor stared at Linda, surprised by her strength. He let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Mrs. Vance, your son defrauded me of four hundred thousand dollars. His wife tried to steal it. You expect me to just walk away?"
"You will walk away from this house," Linda said. "But you will get your money. Marcus has already frozen the accounts that Thomas and Marissa used to store the embezzled funds. Nearly three hundred and fifty thousand of your dollars are still in those accounts, untouched. Marcus will facilitate the legal return of those funds to your firm—provided you leave my family alone and testify against Thomas and Marissa in court."
Viktor looked at Marcus, who nodded in confirmation.
"And the remaining fifty thousand?" Viktor asked.
"Daniel will pay that back," Linda said, looking down at her son. "Through his prison labor, and through the liquidation of his personal assets. He will pay every single cent back to you, even if it takes him the rest of his life."
Just then, the sound of sirens began to wail in the distance, growing louder by the second. Red and blue lights began to flash through the thick green leaves of the magnolia trees at the edge of the property.
Three Sheriff’s patrol cars pulled into the driveway, gravel flying as they came to a halt. Officers stepped out, their hands resting on their holsters.
"Sheriff," Marcus called out, walking toward the lead deputy. "We have a domestic violence suspect, an elder abuse suspect, and a primary suspect in a multi-state bank fraud scheme ready for transport."
The deputies moved quickly. Within minutes, the cuffs were slapped onto Daniel’s wrists. He didn't fight them. He looked up at Linda one last time as they guided him toward the back of the police car.
"Mom..." Daniel sobbed, his voice cracking. "Please. Don't let them do this. I'm your son. I'm your baby boy."
Linda stood tall, her arm resting in Marcus’s. "You were my son, Daniel. But the boy I rocked to sleep would never have raised his hand against me. The man standing before me is a stranger. And I have no obligation to save a stranger from the consequences of his crimes."
Marissa was handcuffed next. She screamed, cursed, and spat at Linda as she was dragged away, her expensive trench coat dragging in the dirt.
As the police cars drove away, Viktor t
urned to Linda and tipped his hat. "You are a very strong woman, Mrs. Vance. Your husband was a lucky man."
"Thank you, Mr. Vance," Linda said. "Now, please leave my property."
Viktor and his men got back into their SUVs and drove away, leaving Linda and Marcus alone in the quiet morning air.
May you like
With Daniel and Marissa behind bars, Linda thinks the nightmare is finally over. But as she cleans out the guesthouse, she finds a hidden diary that reveals a terrifying truth: Robert’s death five years ago was NOT an accident.
Find out in Chapter 5... Tap 'All comments' or see below! 👇👇👇
