Chapter 9 - The House of Cards
Dozens of high-powered tactical flashlights pierced the darkness, pinning my mother in blinding white light.
Red laser sights danced across her chest as heavily armed federal agents descended from the catwalks and stormed the ground floor.
My mother dropped the pistol instantly, raising her hands as she fell to her knees in terrified defeat.
"Do not shoot!" she screamed, her bravado entirely evaporating in the face of federal prison.
Two agents moved in swiftly, kicking the gun away and securing her wrists with heavy zip-ties.
I rushed forward and tore the gag from Sabrina’s mouth, untying the ropes that bound her to the chair.
Sabrina collapsed into my arms, sobbing hysterically.
"I am so sorry, Stephanie, I didn't know she was going to kill anyone!" Sabrina wailed.
I pushed her away coldly, refusing to offer a single ounce of comfort to the sister who had tried to destroy my life.
"You don't get to apologize," I stated, turning my back on her as an agent moved in to arrest her for corporate fraud.
I carefully picked up the plastic crate holding the two sleeping twins, ensuring they were unharmed.
A team of paramedics rushed into the warehouse to examine the infants and confirm they were the missing Ohio twins.
As I walked out of the warehouse into the cool night air, Jacqueline was waiting by a barricade of police cars.
Beside her, sitting in the back of a squad car in handcuffs, was Christopher.
He looked completely broken, his expensive suit ruined and his arrogant smirk permanently erased.
I walked over to the squad car and motioned for the officer to roll down the window.
Christopher looked up at me, his eyes wide with a desperate, pathetic plea.
"Stephanie, please, I didn't know your mother was going to kill Thorne or kidnap those babies," he begged.
"I just wanted the trust money, I swear!"
I stared at the man I had loved for eight years, feeling absolutely nothing but pity.
"You signed the divorce papers voluntarily in front of witnesses, Christopher," I reminded him quietly.
"But because you signed them while actively committing federal financial fraud, the prenuptial agreement is legally void."
His jaw dropped as the reality of his situation finally hit him.
"My legal team seized your entire ownership stake in Meridian Healthcare thirty minutes ago," I whispered.
"You don't just lose the house and the lake property; you lose your entire company."
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I stepped away from the car, letting the officer roll the window back up to silence Christopher's screaming.
The nightmare was finally over, and the Gilbert empire belonged to me.
