Chapter 9 - The Fall of Victoria
The arrest of Victoria Vance was neither quiet nor dignified.
As the federal agents guided her toward the back of the unmarked sedan, Victoria fought every step of the way, screaming curses at David, at her brother Richard, and at the late sister who had outsmarted her from beyond the grave.
"You'll regret this, David!" she screamed, her face flushed red, hair wild and unkempt as she was forced into the backseat of the vehicle. "You think you can live here without me? This house will eat you alive! You don't have the blood! You're nothing! You're nobody!"
Agent Marcus Vance slammed the car door shut, cutting off her screams behind heavy, tinted glass.
The corporate lawyers Victoria had brought with her were already in their SUV, reversing down the driveway at top speed to avoid being questioned. Arthur Pendelton sat slumped on the front bumper of his Mercedes, staring blankly at the ground, waiting for the secondary federal team that was arriving to seize his files.
Marcus walked back over to David, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead despite the cold morning air.
"She's looking at ten to fifteen years in federal prison, David," Marcus said quietly. "Between the wire fraud, the forged tax instruments, and the deathbed extortion captured on that audio recording, no judge in the Fourth Circuit will grant her bail."
David exhaled a long breath he felt like he had been holding for fifteen months. "Thank you, Marcus."
"Don't thank me," Marcus replied, looking up at the grand facade of the estate. "Thank Sarah. She came to see me eighteen months ago, before the cancer spread to her lungs. She told me what Victoria was doing. She wanted to give Victoria a chance to walk away clean—she really did love her sister, despite everything. But Sarah was smart enough to build a fail-safe in case Victoria couldn't control her greed."
Marcus reached out and shook David’s hand with firm respect. "Take care of that little girl, David. She’s got her mother’s strength."
The federal vehicles pulled away, their tires crunching over the gravel, carrying away the poison that had infected the Oakridge Estate for decades.
David stood alone in the quiet courtyard for a long time, watching the morning mist rise off the vast green lawns. The air felt lighter. The oppressive, heavy shadow that had hung over the property since Sarah’s death had finally, completely dissolved.
He turned and walked back inside the house.
The grand foyer was warm, filled with the soft morning light filtering through the stained-glass transom above the double doors.
Sitting on the bottom step of the grand staircase, dressed in clean jeans and a warm woolen sweater, was Emily. She was holding her teddy bear, Barnaby, tightly against her chest, watching her father with wide, questioning eyes.
"Is it over, Daddy?" she asked softly.
David walked over, knelt down in front of her, and wrapped his arms around her small shoulders, pulling her into a tight, warm embrace.
May you like
"Yes, baby," David whispered, his voice trembling with pure relief. "It’s over. It’s finally over."
***
