Chapter 3: The Collapse of the Thorne Estate
The arrest was brutal and swift. Beatrice and Julianna were not given the luxury of a private exit. They were handcuffed in front of the servants and the terrified household staff they had bullied for years.
As the Sheriff’s deputies hauled Beatrice toward the waiting cruisers, she screamed, her high-society mask entirely shredded. "Elias! You will be disinherited! You will never receive a cent of the Thorne trust! I will see you in court, you ungrateful wretch!"
Elias stood on the porch, his hand resting on Megan’s back, watching the flashing lights carry them away. He didn't answer. He didn't need to. He knew that the trust fund was already gone; his legal team had initiated a forensic audit that revealed Beatrice had been embezzling from the estate for decades to cover her gambling debts. Her entire facade of wealth was a house of cards, and it had just been blown down by a single, determined soldier.
"They're gone, Megan," Elias said softly, turning to his wife.
Megan sat on the porch swing, the adrenaline finally fading as the reality of her safety settled in. She looked at her husband—the man who had carried the weight of a nation on his shoulders—and saw him crying for the first time.
May you like
"They were going to hurt the baby," she whispered.
"They won't get within a thousand miles of you ever again," Elias promised. He reached out, his thumb catching a stray tear on her cheek. "I’ve cleared the estate. The legal team is currently seizing the accounts. By tomorrow morning, this mansion won't even belong to the Thorne family anymore."
