Chapter 14 - The Iron Handcuffs
The lead sergeant turned his back on the medical team, his expression hardening as he faced Victoria Bennett.
"Ma'am, based on eyewitness accounts, video evidence provided by multiple guests, and victim testimony, you are under arrest," the sergeant declared.
Victoria stepped back violently, her eyes bulging with incredulous shock as she slammed against the wall of the mansion.
"Under arrest?! Do you know who I am?!" she screamed, her voice reaching a piercing, ear-splitting pitch.
"I am Victoria Bennett! My husband contributes millions of dollars to the city council and the police foundation!"
"My father will not protect you, Victoria," Clara spoke up from beneath her thermal blanket, her voice quiet but ringing with unexpected strength.
The entire terrace fell silent at the sound of the victim's voice.
Clara looked directly into the eyes of the woman who had terrorized her for three agonizing years.
"You thought you could break me, you thought you could push me into the dark and take everything that belongs to my family," Clara said steadily.
"But you are nothing more than a coward, Victoria. And tonight, everyone in this city sees exactly what you are."
Victoria lunged forward with a guttural roar of pure hatred, attempting to tear through the space separating them.
"You little bitch!" she shrieked, her claw-like hands reaching out to strangle the young woman.
The two police officers reacted instantly, grabbing Victoria’s arms and forcefully twisting them behind her back.
"Stop resisting!" the officers barked in unison, driving her forward against the cold stone railing of the terrace.
A loud, metallic click echoed across the silent courtyard as the first steel cuff snapped shut around Victoria's right wrist.
Victoria writhed and screamed, thrashing her body in a desperate, undignified attempt to break the officers' iron grip.
"Arthur! Tell them to unhand me! Arthur, stop them right now!" she pleaded, her arrogance crumbling into frantic terror.
"You are being charged with attempted second-degree murder, felony assault, and domestic violence," the sergeant stated, reading her rights with cold detachment.
The second handcuff snapped shut around her left wrist, locking her arms securely behind the sodden crimson silk of her gown.
Victoria gasped as the cold steel bit into her flesh, realizing the horrifying finality of the metal binding her wrists.
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Arthur walked over slowly, standing three feet in front of his handcuffed wife, looking down at her ruined face.
"Arthur, please... we can fix this," Victoria wept, tears cutting dark streaks through the smeared red makeup on her cheeks.
"It was a moment of madness! I was stressed! We can tell them it was a misunderstanding, we can pay the guests to delete the videos!"
"Every single asset in your name has already been frozen by my legal counsel," Arthur said in a voice that felt like an iron door slamming shut.
"The prenuptial agreement explicitly states that any act of violence against my daughter voids every penny of your settlement."
Victoria’s jaw dropped in absolute horror as the financial reality of her destruction struck her like a sledgehammer.
"You leave this house with nothing, Victoria. No money, no jewelry, no social standing, and no future."
"You will rot in a state penitentiary for what you did to Clara, and I will spend every billion I possess to ensure you never walk free."
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Victoria began to sob hysterically, her knees buckling as the officers held her upright by her bound arms.
The guests watched in silent, awe-inspired satisfaction as the tyrannical socialite was dragged toward the terrace exit like a common felon.
