Chapter 2 - The House of CardsVanessa let out a sharp, hysterical gasp, backing three paces away from Daniel as if he had suddenly caught a contagious plague.
"Daniel!" Vanessa shrieked, her voice high and trembling. "You told me you owned this house! You told me you owned the company!"
"Shut up, Vanessa!" Daniel snapped, wiping sweat from his forehead with a shaking hand. He turned back to Jonathan, his hands raised in a frantic, groveling gesture. "Mr. Vance, listen to me! This is a domestic dispute! Victoria and I had a minor disagreement! She fell! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"
"You didn't mean to strike the sole heiress of Hale Global Capital twenty times with a leather belt, Mr. Miller?" Jonathan asked smoothly, holding up an encrypted tablet that was wirelessly linked to the estate's hidden security server.
Daniel went completely, terrifyingly still.
"You forgot that your father-in-law installed the primary security grid when he purchased this property seven years ago," Jonathan revealed with a razor-sharp, freezing smile. "Every second of your assault, every word spoken by your mistress, and every strike has been recorded in high-definition digital audio and video, stored securely on our offshore servers."
Vanessa's jaw sagged open in total, speech-bound horror. "Recorded...?"
"In fact," Jonathan continued, tapping the screen once, "the local precinct has already reviewed the footage. Officer Miller, please execute the warrant."
The lead police officer stepped forward, pulling heavy steel handcuffs from his utility belt.
"Daniel Miller," the officer declared flatly. "You are under arrest for Aggravated Felony Assault, Felony Domestic Battery, and Witness Intimidation."
"NO! WAIT!" Daniel shrieked, thrashing wildly as two broad-shouldered officers grabbed his arms, pinning him flat face-down against his own marble floorboards. "VICTORIA! PLEASE! TELL THEM TO STOP! I LOVE YOU! VICTORIA!"
I didn't look back at him. I didn't shed a single tear.
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I stepped over his leather belt lying on the sofa, walked out through the double doors into the cool night air, and stepped into my father's armored Maybach waiting in the driveway.
Behind me, the house Daniel thought he owned was sealed with yellow federal tape.
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