Chapter 13 - The Golden Cages Crumbles
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Daniel’s breath caught in his chest as the FBI agent grabbed his arm, pulling his wrist roughly behind his back.
“Wait! No! You don't understand!” Daniel panicked, struggling against the cold steel cuffs as they snapped around his wrists. “My lawyer is Thomas Sterling! Call him! This is a corporate misunderstanding!”
The agent didn't pause. “Mr. Sterling was informed an hour ago, sir. He has officially withdrawn as your counsel due to non-payment of retainers.”
The crowd watched in breathless silence as Daniel Mercer—the high-flying, arrogant president who had spent years treating everyone beneath him like dirt—was forced down onto his knees in the middle of the lobby to be searched.
He looked up at me, his eyes wide with a desperate, pathetic pleading.
“Claire... please,” he whimpered, tears finally breaking through his stubborn pride, rolling down his dirty cheeks. “Please don't do this to me. I love you. I made a terrible mistake with Vanessa, but I still love you. We can fix this. We can start over...”
I stared down at him, remembering the man who had sat across the dining table eighteen hours ago, wrapping his arm around my sister’s waist and sneering at my pain.
“You never loved me, Daniel,” I said softly, leaning down slightly so only he could hear my words. “You loved my grandfather's fortune. And now, you get to spend the next twenty years reflecting on the difference.”
The agents hauled him to his feet and led him out through the revolving glass doors, pushing him into the back of a black unmarked sedan parked at the curb.
Flashbulbs flared violently against the glass as the car sped away, leaving only the sound of rain against the pavement.
May you like
I turned back toward the gathered staff. They were all staring at me—some in shock, some in utter awe.
“Back to work, everyone,” I announced calmly. “We have an empire to run.”
