Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3 — The Evidence of Sin
Ethan took a desperate step toward me,
his hands outstretched,
forgetting entirely about the federal agents standing right behind him.
"Maya,
please,
think about our three years together,
think about our vows!"
he begged,
his voice echoing pitifully off the high marble walls.
Before he could get within three feet of me,
the two federal agents moved with terrifying,
flawless precision,
grabbing his arms and slamming him face-first onto the mahogany dining table.
His cheek pressed hard against the silver platter of wagyu beef,
the very luxury he had bragged about just minutes ago.
"Don't move,
sir,
keep your hands exactly where we can see them,"
the agent commanded sternly,
pulling out a pair of heavy steel handcuffs.
"Let go of my son!"
Beatrice shrieked,
her polished facade completely shattering as she jumped up from her chair.
"Do you know who we are?
We are the Thornes,
we built our own success,
you cannot treat us like common criminals!"
I calmly reached into the pocket of my cream dress,
pulled out the tiny digital recorder,
and placed it directly in the center of the table.
I pressed the play button with my thumb.
The crystal-clear audio filled the room instantly,
the sound of a heavy,
brutal slap cracking through the speakers.
Then came Ethan’s recorded voice,
loud and arrogant:
"Answer me when I speak to you,
Maya."
Followed immediately by Beatrice’s chilling,
recorded advice:
"A wife must be corrected early,
Ethan,
your father understood that perfectly."
The room fell into an even deeper,
more horrific silence as the recording played the sound of the fourth slap,
and my own quiet,
unshaken breathing.
Beatrice’s face turned the color of ash,
her hands dropping to her sides as she realized their own words had just sealed their absolute doom.
Jonathan Vance smiled a grim,
satisfied smile,
taking the recorder from the table and sealing it inside an evidence bag.
"Thank you,
Mrs.
Sterling,
this audio recording,
combined with the medical report from your private doctor last night,
guarantees a felony assault conviction,"
he stated factually.
"But that is only the tip of the iceberg for you,
Ethan,"
Vance continued,
turning his cold gaze back to my husband.
"While you were busy playing the big man in this house,
your wife’s accounting firm was quietly auditing your company’s financial books."
Ethan’s eyes widened in total,
blinding terror,
his mouth opening but no sound coming out.
"You’ve been systematically embezzling millions from your investors,
funneling money into offshore accounts to fund your mother's lavish lifestyle,"
I revealed smoothly,
taking a slow sip of my coffee.
"I didn't just lock my office door to keep you out,
Ethan,
I locked it to keep the evidence of your multi-million-dollar fraud perfectly safe until today."
May you like
The handcuffs clicked tightly around his wrists,
the cold metal a permanent reminder of the price he would pay for ever putting his hands on a Sterling.
