Chapter 5 - The Snake's Last Bite
Grant didn't even look at Celeste. Seeing his entire future incinerated in a single hour, he fell to his knees in front of me. He reached out, trying to grab the hem of my velvet dress.
"Please," he begged, tears forming in his eyes. "You loved me. You financed my life because you believed in me. Celeste manipulated me! She told me you were going to leave me anyway. She seduced me, she forced me to sign those digital authorizations! Please, let me help you rebuild the company. I know where all her other hidden assets are!"
Celeste looked down at him with pure disgust. "You pathetic, spineless coward! You were begging me to run away with you to the Caribbean just three hours ago!"
"Get away from me, Grant," I said, stepping back so his hands hit the cold marble floor. "The man I loved never existed. He was just a hollow vessel for greed. The police are waiting."
The front doors opened, and four uniform officers walked into the ballroom, accompanied by a detective from the white-collar crime division.
"Executor Vance?" the detective asked, looking at me.
"Yes, Detective," I said, handing him a flash drive containing the complete forensic audit, the hospital logs, and the IP tracking data. "Here is the evidence of corporate embezzlement, digital signature forgery, and identity theft."
The detective nodded and looked at his officers. "Arrest them."
As the officers moved in with handcuffs, Celeste’s face shifted from panic to a terrifying, calm coldness. She didn't struggle as the metal clicked around her wrists. Instead, she leaned closer to me as she was led past.
"You think you dug up everything, don't you?" Celeste whispered, a wicked, jagged smile spreading across her lips. "You think your precious father was an innocent victim? Ask Arthur Pendelton why he kept quiet for ten years. Ask yourself where your father really got the money to buy the controlling shares from Beatrice in the first place. You haven't inherited a kingdom... you've inherited a graveyard."
My heart stuttered for a fraction of a second, but I kept my face entirely expressionless. "Take them away."
Grant wept openly as he was escorted out into the snow, his expensive tuxedo jacket ruined by the slush. Celeste walked out like a queen being led to the guillotine, her head held high, her eyes fixed on me until the heavy doors shut behind her.
The ballroom was completely silent again. The flickering Christmas lights cast long, dancing shadows across the empty space. Mr. Harrison placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
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"You did it, kiddo. Beatrice is resting easy tonight."
"Not yet," I murmured, turning my gaze slowly toward Arthur Pendelton, who was still standing near the back of the room, silently sweating into his silk collar.
