Chapter 6 - The UnravelingTrevor’s face turned from red to an ghostly, ash-white. Sweat poured down his forehead, ruining his immaculate hair. "That... that’s a deepfake! Just like the video of Reid!"
"No, Trevor," Brooke said, her eyes flashing with triumphant power. "The video of Reid was the deepfake. This is the raw, unedited footage recovered directly from the hotel’s cloud backup, authenticated by the FBI’s Cyber Crime Division twenty minutes ago."
At that exact moment, the grand double doors at the entrance of the ballroom slammed open once again.
This time, it wasn't a guest.
Six federal agents in dark suits, led by a stern-faced woman holding a federal warrant, marched down the center aisle.
"Chloe Sterling! Trevor Madsen!" the lead agent announced, her voice booming through the hall. "You are under arrest for federal wire fraud, corporate espionage, bank fraud, and identity theft!"
Chaos broke loose. Guests scrambled out of the way as federal agents moved in.
Chloe lost all her composure. She turned on Trevor like a rabid animal, shoving him violently in the chest. "You idiot! You told me she was stupid! You told me she wouldn't check the audit trail!"
"I... I didn't know!" Trevor squealed, backing away in terror until his lower back hit the bar. "Brooke! Brooke, please! Tell them! I’m your husband! We can fix this!"
Brooke walked up to Trevor. He looked small now. Pathetic. The illusion of his power over her had completely shattered into dust.
"You're not my husband, Trevor," Brooke said with deadly calm. "You're a thief who thought he could throw his family away like trash."
She reached into her small purse, pulled out the formal divorce papers and full restitution demands drafted by Reid’s legal team, and slapped them hard against Trevor’s chest.
"You signed my name to steal millions," Brooke whispered cold against his ear. "Now sign your name to give back every single penny you took from me and Lily."
Trevor, weeping frantically under the glare of forty news cameras, collapsed to his knees and signed the papers against the mahogany floor while a federal agent placed handcuffs on his wrists.
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As Trevor was pulled to his feet, forced to walk the march of shame past hundreds of laughing, mocking investors, he looked back at Brooke one last time.
Brooke didn't look back at him. She had already turned her shoulder.
