Chapter 9 - The Final VerdictThe officers reached our booth, grabbing Brendan by the shoulders and hauling him upright.
"Come on, pal. Move along. You're harassing the customer," the officer ordered firmly, dragging a weeping, broken Brendan toward the exit.
"Cassidy! CASSIDY!" Brendan screamed, flailing as he was hauled out into the cold night rain. The diner door swung shut, cutting off his desperate cries.
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The waitress walked over, looking sympathetic as she wiped down the counter. "Rough night for some people, huh? You okay, honey?"
I smiled warmly, placing a hundred-dollar bill on the table—keeping the change for myself. "I'm better than okay," I said softly, resting a hand on my growing bump. "I'm finally free."
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Chapter 10 - The Empire of OneSix months later, the headlines were filled with a very different kind of story.
Chapter 11 - The Shadow of JessicaWhile Brendan was learning what it meant to sleep on a park bench, his former fiancée Jessica was fighting her own desperate war of survival in the high-society trenches.
Chapter 12 - An Offer You Can't RefuseJessica’s breath hitched. She instinctively took a step back, her eyes darting toward the street as if looking for a way to escape. "You... you’re the lawyer. The one who ruined us."
Chapter 13 - The Senator's DesperationLater that evening, in a dimly lit, cheap motel room on the outskirts of New Jersey, former Senator Robert Parker—Jessica’s father—paced the floor like a caged animal.
Chapter 14 - The Airport TrapThree hours later, a sleek black sedan pulled up to a private terminal at JFK Airport. Senator Parker and Jessica stepped out quickly, hoods pulled over their heads, rushing toward the tarmac entrance where their private charter—paid for with cash—was supposedly waiting.
Chapter 15 - Face-to-Face on the TarmacJessica froze, her eyes widening in absolute terror as she stared at me. The woman she had giggled at while she shivered under a bucket of dirty water was now standing before her like an absolute queen.
