Chapter 5 - The Counter-Attack at the PenthouseThe very next afternoon, while I was at the office finalizing the corporate restructuring audit, my phone buzzed with an urgent alert from our home security system.
Motion detected: Master Penthouse Foyer.
I switched instantly to the live camera feed on my smartphone screen. My heart skipped a beat.
Standing in the foyer of my downtown penthouse were Richard, Vivian, and Brooke. They had somehow bypassed building security—likely bribing a disgruntled former desk clerk Richard had previously befriended—and were currently ransacking the living room.
Brooke was aggressively stuffing designer handbags and diamond jewelry into a large duffel bag, while Vivian stood by yelling instructions, holding baby Chloe in her arms. Richard was smashing open a decorative wall cabinet, looking for my father’s physical stock certificates and vault keys.
“Hurry up!” Richard barked, sweeping a collection of antique crystal vases onto the hardwood floor, where they shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. “If Amanda’s security detail shows up, we won’t have time to grab the bearer bonds!”
I didn’t call the police immediately. I wanted them to dig their graves as deep as humanly possible.
I signaled my driver, instructed two armed private security contractors to follow my vehicle, and dialed emergency services to report an active burglary in progress by known trespassers.
When my car pulled up outside the luxury high-rise twenty minutes later, the lobby was in a frenzy. The building manager looked terrified.
“Ms. Thorne! I am so sorry!” the manager stammered, rushing toward me as I stepped out of the car. “They used forged override codes! We’ve already locked down the elevator banks!”
“Good,” I said coldly, walking past him flanked by my private security guards. “Let’s go catch some thieves.”
When we stepped out onto the penthouse floor, the heavy oak double doors were wide open. Inside, the sound of crashing furniture and frantic shouting echoed through the hallway.
We stepped silently into the living room.
Brooke was currently holding a heavy platinum-and-diamond necklace belonging to my grandmother, her eyes wide with greed. Vivian was barking orders from the sofa, while Richard was knee-deep in paperwork at my desk.
“Looking for something, Richard?” my voice rang out, sharp and crystal clear.
All three of them froze instantly. Richard spun around so fast he knocked over my desk chair.
“Amanda!” Richard gasped, color draining from his face. “You… you’re supposed to be at headquarters!”
“And you were supposed to be miles away, obeying a legal restraining order,” I replied, gesturing to the two armed security guards who immediately stepped forward, blocking every possible exit.
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“You can’t arrest us!” Vivian shrieked, clutching baby Chloe tighter as the baby began to wail loudly from the sudden noise. “We have rights! This is family property!”
“Not anymore,” I said, stepping forward as the wailing sirens of police cruisers echoed loudly from the street below, rapidly approaching the building. “And by the time the police finish booking you for felony burglary and violation of a restraining order, you’ll realize just how small your world has truly become.”
