Chapter 16 - The Verdict
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Ryan let out a loud, pathetic gasp of relief, his shoulders slumping as he remained pressed against the gravel. "Thank you. Oh God, thank you."
Gabriel didn't look disappointed. He looked at Lily with profound respect, waiting for her next words.
"Death is too quick for you, Ryan," Lily said, her voice turning hard and unforgiving. She looked down at him with absolute disgust. "I want you to live a long, miserable life knowing exactly what you lost, and knowing that a maid took it from you."
Ryan slowly lifted his head, confusion mixing with his terror.
Lily turned to Gabriel. "Take everything else."
A terrifying, proud smile spread across Gabriel's face. "With pleasure, mia regina."
Gabriel snapped his fingers. Elias stepped forward from the shadows, hauling Ryan roughly to his feet.
"You get to keep your breathing, Ryan," Gabriel said, stepping close enough that Ryan flinched backward. "But your life as you know it ends tonight. The SEC has already received a massive, encrypted data dump of your family's financial crimes, complete with the illegal offshore transfers you authorized to cover up your assaults."
Ryan went stark white. "No... my father will kill me."
"Your father has already been indicted," Gabriel corrected smoothly. "The feds are raiding the Caldwell estate as we speak. Your bank accounts are frozen. Your assets are seized. You are bankrupt, disgraced, and facing decades in federal prison for corporate fraud and racketeering."
"You can't do this!" Ryan screamed, thrashing against Elias's grip.
"It's already done," Gabriel whispered. "And when you finally go to prison, penniless and alone, surrounded by men who don't care about your last name... I will make sure everyone in your cell block knows exactly who put you there."
Ryan began to sob hysterically, realizing that the punishment Lily had chosen was a thousand times worse than a quick death. He was going to suffer for decades.
"Take him to the FBI field office," Gabriel ordered Elias. "Drop him on the front steps tied in a bow with the hard drives."
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As they dragged the screaming, broken heir to the van, Lily turned away, refusing to watch him leave. She took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling a massive, suffocating weight lift off her chest.
It was over. She was free.
