CHAPTER 5
"Mother...?" Vanessa gasped, her voice trembling violently as she backed away toward the edge of the stage. "You're... you were supposed to be dead!"
"I built Merrick Global from nothing, Vanessa," I said, my voice steady, sharp, and reverberating through the vast room with absolute authority. "Did you truly believe I wouldn't anticipate the venom of the snake I raised?"
Special Agent Marcus Vance of the FBI's Financial Crimes Division stepped through the tactical perimeter, holding a freshly executed federal arrest warrant.
"Vanessa Caldwell," Agent Vance announced sternly, his voice cutting through the lingering smoke. "You are under arrest for attempted murder, corporate sabotage, use of a chemical weapon, and grand wire fraud."
Roland Pike lay wheezing on the floor, pointing a shaking finger at Vanessa as paramedics rushed into the room with oxygen tanks and stretchers.
"She poisoned us!" Roland gasped, clutching a paramedic's sleeve. "She forged the board approvals! She forced us to sign the offshore transfer agreements!"
"Save your breath for the federal prosecutor, Mr. Pike," Agent Vance replied coldly as two officers slapped heavy steel handcuffs onto Roland’s wrists. "We have the complete ledger from your Swiss accounts thanks to your CEO."
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Vanessa looked wildly around the room, realization finally dawning on her that every single exit was blocked by heavily armed federal agents.
Her eyes darted back to me, filling with a toxic mixture of overwhelming rage and pathetic desperation as two female agents stepped forward to secure her arms.
