Chapter 1
Tension crackled through the grand living room like an electric current as the police officer stepped inside.
Behind the mantelpiece, the small American flag stood quietly under the soft glow of the recessed lighting.
Thirty-year-old Ethan froze, his hand still suspended in mid-air after striking his twenty-five-year-old pregnant wife, Clara.
Sixty-year-old Evelyn gasped, her haughty red-dressed frame shrinking behind the sofa as sixty-year-old Arthur Vance strode into the room.
"Dad..." Clara whispered, her emerald green maternity dress trembling slightly as she cupped her reddened cheek.
Arthur did not break his stride, his charcoal black suit immaculate, his red tie perfectly knotted as his eyes locked onto Ethan.
"Officer, arrest that man for physical assault," Arthur commanded, his authoritative voice cutting through the suffocating silence.
"Wait! Mr. Vance, this is a private family dispute!" Ethan stammered, frantically taking two steps backward.
The police officer immediately stepped forward, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his tactical belt.
"Sir, turn around and place your hands behind your back," the officer instructed firmly, ignoring Ethan's protests.
Evelyn rushed forward, her burgundy gown rustling as she raised her manicured hands in sheer panic.
"You can't do this! My son is an executive at Vance Enterprises!" Evelyn shrieked, her haughty composure completely shattered.
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Arthur turned his head slightly, giving Evelyn a cold, piercing glare that silenced her mid-sentence.
"Your son is a disgraced employee who just signed his own arrest warrant," Arthur stated icy coldness.
