Chapter 6 - THE EVIDENCE TARIFF"Don't touch him, Serena," I commanded, raising my hand.
Marcus Vance stepped forward, opening the thick leather briefcase he had carried in. He pulled out a stack of certified financial documents and distributed them across the nearest guest tables.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Marcus announced loudly to the stunned crowd of elites. "As chief counsel for Vale Meridian, I am presenting verified public and private records documenting Serena Cross’s four million dollars in illegal gambling debts, forged identity documents, and documented conspiracies to unlawfully manipulate corporate voting shares."
Murmurs erupted like a swarm of angry hornets.
Lucas Cross lunged forward, his face red with panic. "Lies! Slander! You planted those documents!"
Two federal marshals instantly stepped forward, pinning Lucas’s arms behind his back with military precision and slapping cold steel handcuffs around his wrists.
"Lucas Cross, you are under arrest for corporate wire fraud and extortion," the lead marshal stated coldly.
Serena shrieked, falling to her knees in front of Ethan, clutching the hem of his tuxedo trousers. "Ethan! Please! You love me! Don't listen to them! Your father hates me because I'm not from his social class! He staged all of this!"
Ethan looked down at her. The grief in his eyes had turned into a burning, unadulterated fury.
"Serena," Ethan said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Did you tell Lucas three nights ago that once we were married, you would force me to strip my father of his voting rights?"
Serena’s breath hitched. The theatrical tears stopped instantly. Her eyes darted wildly around the room as she realized the game was completely, irrevocably over.
May you like
"I..." she stammered.
"The audio logs from the dining room microphone planted in the floral arrangements captured every single word, my dear," I stepped closer, looking down at her kneeling form. "You thought you were marrying a cash cow. Instead, you walked straight into a slaughterhouse."
