Chapter 4 - The Arrest in the Lobby
Down in the marble lobby of the Carter Logistics headquarters, two dozen employees were gathered around the coffee bar, whispering nervously as the company servers went offline.
Suddenly, the executive elevator chimed.
The doors slid open.
Two uniformed police officers walked out, escorting Vanessa Brooks in heavy silver handcuffs. Her designer dress was wrinkled, her makeup was smeared with tears, and her hair was a tangled mess as she sobbed hysterically.
“Let go of me!” Vanessa screamed, kicking her heels against the polished floor. “Daniel! Tell them who I am! Daniel!”
Right behind her walked Daniel, flanked by two private security guards who were forcing him to carry his personal items inside a plain cardboard box.
Every employee in the lobby froze. Cameras flashed as junior analysts pulled out their smartphones, recording the unthinkable sight of their untouchable CEO being unceremoniously marched out of his own building.
At the glass entrance doors of the building stood a slender woman wearing a tailored ivory trench coat and a silk Chanel scarf wrapped elegantly around her head, concealing her damaged hair.
It was me.
As Daniel was pushed through the metal turnstiles, his eyes locked onto mine. The arrogant smirk he had worn five minutes ago in his office was completely gone. In its place was the raw, pathetic terror of a man who had just watched his gold-plated world explode into dust.
“Emily!” Daniel begged, stepping toward me before security blocked his path. “Emily, please! Talk to me! We can fix this! It was a misunderstanding! Vanessa lost her mind!”
I stepped forward, my pumps clicking rhythmically against the marble floor. I stopped two feet from him.
“I gave you five minutes, Daniel,” I said softly, my voice completely smooth, without a trace of anger or sadness. “You hung up.”
“I didn't know!” he choked out, tears welling in his eyes. “I thought you were just mad about the affair!”
“I wasn't mad about the affair,” I replied, looking him dead in the eyes. “I was disappointed that you mistook my quiet kindness for weakness. You thought I was your shadow, Daniel. You forgot that I was your foundation.”
Officer Miller clicked his handcuffs onto Vanessa’s other wrist. “Ms. Brooks, you are under arrest for felony assault. You have the right to remain silent.”
May you like
“Daniel, do something!” Vanessa howled as she was shoved into the back of a black-and-white police cruiser parked at the curb. “You promised me the house! You promised me half the company!”
Daniel buried his face in his hands, slumped over on the sidewalk, as the sirens began to wail.
