Chapter 8 - The Poisonous Lie
Derek's desperate, vicious accusation hung in the air like a thick, highly toxic cloud of smoke.
I turned slowly away from the window and stared at my father, actively searching his face for any sign of guilt.
My father's stoic expression remained entirely calm, but I noticed a brief, painful flicker of genuine sorrow in his eyes.
Chloe stepped confidently forward and firmly stated that Derek was twisting the facts just to save his own skin.
She calmly explained that she had indeed found highly classified medical files regarding my mother's passing.
However, the files completely proved that my father had spent billions of dollars desperately trying to cure her terminal illness.
My father had absolutely never stopped fighting for her life until her very last, incredibly tragic breath.
Derek had maliciously misread the complex documents, absolutely desperate to find anything he could use as blackmail material.
I felt a massive wave of pure relief wash over me, completely dismissing Derek's pathetic attempt to turn me against my family.
I looked deeply down at my ex-husband with absolute pity, finally realizing he was truly a hollow, soulless shell of a man.
He had spent his entire pathetic life trying to tear other people down just to make himself feel incredibly tall.
The heavy boardroom doors opened wide as a large squad of heavily armed police officers marched securely into the room.
The lead detective politely approached my father with immense respect and formally asked for the suspect to be handed over.
The security guards aggressively hauled Derek to his feet and roughly shoved him toward the waiting officers.
The police quickly replaced the plastic zip ties with heavy, cold steel handcuffs that clicked loudly and permanently into place.
They firmly read him his Miranda rights while he continued to weep and desperately beg for a second chance.
He looked back at me one last time, his swollen eyes completely filled with a pathetic mixture of terror and regret.
He loudly asked me if I could ever possibly find it in my heart to forgive him for his terrible mistakes.
I calmly walked over to the shattered glass table and picked up the muddy, heavily stained twenty-dollar bill.
I carefully folded the dirty money and slipped it directly into his torn front shirt pocket.
I coldly told him to use the money to buy himself a highly comfortable seat in his tiny prison cell.
Derek broke down into hysterical, totally uncontrollable sobs as the officers aggressively dragged him out of the luxurious penthouse.
The pathetic sound of his desperate wailing echoed completely down the hallway until the elevator doors finally closed.
I stood perfectly still in the center of the quiet boardroom, feeling entirely free for the first time in three long years.
My father gently placed a warm, incredibly comforting hand on my shoulder and told me how immensely proud he was.
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I smiled brightly, absolutely ready to reclaim my rightful place as the powerful heir to the Sterling empire.
But as the police escorted Derek safely into the lobby downstairs, a massive explosion genuinely rocked the foundation of the building.
