Chapter 20 - The Press Conference
Within twenty minutes, news vans descended upon the Oakridge Community Center like a swarm of bees. The story had broken nationally. The sheer magnitude of Sterling's fraud—forging deeds, stealing from children, and building deadly luxury condos—sparked instant outrage.
The corrupt local police officers quietly slipped away, realizing their benefactor was finished.
Instead, black SUVs belonging to the FBI arrived on the scene. The federal authorities, acting on the massive data dump Claire had provided, had already secured warrants.
Agents approached Sterling, who stood frozen in shock, staring at his incessantly ringing phone.
"Arthur Sterling, you are under arrest for fraud, bribery, and racketeering," the lead agent announced, slapping handcuffs onto the billionaire's wrists.
As Sterling was led away in disgrace, a massive cheer erupted from the crowd. Maya collapsed into tears of relief, hugging her students.
The press immediately swarmed Claire, shoving microphones in her face.
"Ms. Hale! How did you uncover the fraud? Are you going to sue for the frozen accounts?"
Claire held up a hand, silencing the reporters. She stepped back and gently pushed Sophie forward.
"I didn't do this alone," Claire said. "Ask her."
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Sophie looked at the flashing cameras. A year ago, she would have panicked. Now, she stood tall.
"He thought he could take our center because we didn't have a lot of money," Sophie said clearly into the microphones. "He thought we would be quiet. But my mom says truth is louder than money. And we will never be quiet again."
