“I know everything,” I said back smoothly. “Raymond needs my twelve percent because he took forty million dollars out of the company bank accounts for himself, and now the money is gone.”
Barbara gasped out loud and moved closer to me. “That is a lie! Raymond is smart! He is saving our company!”
“Raymond is a thief,” I said, looking right at my mother. “He stole the money. I warned you and Dad about this two years ago. I showed you the fake bank papers, and I showed you the hidden accounts. Remember what you told me, Dad?”
Reginald swallowed hard, unable to say a word.
“You told me I was too silly for business,” I said in a calm voice. “You told me I was jealous of my brother and ordered me to go back to my desk.”
Reginald looked from me to Alistair, finally understanding what was happening.
“So,” I said, watching them fall apart, “since my own family did not care about the truth, I gave the proof to the one man who had enough money and power to ruin you completely.”
Reginald’s legs gave out a little bit, and he had to hold onto the hospital bed so he would not fall. He looked at Alistair, finally realizing this was not a surprise visit or a secret romance. This was a plan we had built for nine months to crush them.
As Reginald started breathing fast in total fear, Alistair’s head lawyer took out his phone and made a call that was going to destroy the Pembroke name for good.
PART 3: THE MATCH AND THE ARSONIST
“You gave him our private files?!” Reginald screamed, his voice turning into a high squeal that hurt my ears. All his fancy act was gone, showing just how weak and dishonest he really was. “You bad girl! I will take you to court! I will send you to jail!”
He ran toward my bed with his hands out.
Before Reginald could get close, Alistair stepped right in front of him. He put his big hand on my father’s chest and pushed him back hard. Reginald stumbled back, crashing into the wall and knocking a framed picture to the floor, where the glass broke into tiny pieces.
“Do not raise your voice near my family,” Alistair warned in a dangerous whisper. “And never step toward my wife again.”
“Wife?” Barbara gasped, letting out a small cry as she finally got it.
I was not some lonely woman left behind; I was fully protected.
“You cannot take anyone to court when all your bank accounts are locked, Reginald,” the lawyer, Kendrick, said calmly. He tapped his tablet screen without looking at my father. “A judge just locked all your accounts because of the fraud proof your daughter gave us.”
“Locked?” Reginald breathed out, his hands shaking as he pulled away from the wall. “You can’t do that! You don’t have the power!”
“The government does,” Kendrick said simply. “Pembroke Development’s money is frozen while the police check the business. The government knows about the fake papers and the money your son Raymond stole.”
Barbara fell into the visitor’s chair, grabbing her pearls tight. “Raymond… oh no! You are ruining Raymond! Florence, tell them to stop! He is your brother!”
“Raymond ruined himself, Mother,” I answered, feeling no sadness for her. “I just gave the police the proof.”
Reginald walked back and forth quickly, breathing hard. He was trying to find a way out, any way to save his money from Alistair Sanders.
“Fine!” Reginald spat out, pointing a shaking finger at Alistair. “You locked our accounts! But we have real buildings and big properties! We will sell them all, hire the best lawyers, and beat you in court!”
Alistair gave a cold smile. It was not a happy look; it was the look of a big animal about to catch its food.
“You really think I would do this without blocking all your exits first, Reginald?” Alistair asked softly, walking close to my father until he towered over him.
“What do you mean?” Reginald asked, backing up until his back hit the wall again.
“You needed Florence’s shares because your son lost all your money,” Alistair explained in a plain voice. “But you missed one big thing. You needed cash, so you took out a huge loan of sixty million dollars from Vanguard Group.”
Reginald swallowed hard, sweat dripping down his face. “Yes, we took the loan,” he said in a quiet voice. “But they gave us more time to pay it back!”
“Did you ever check who owns Vanguard Group, Reginald?” Alistair asked, tilting his head.
The room was completely quiet. Reginald looked at Alistair, his eyes growing huge as he realized the truth.
“I own Vanguard Group,” Alistair whispered, getting very close to him. “I own your debt, Reginald. Every single dollar. I gave you more time just so you would stay calm while Florence collected the proof against you. And today, I want all my sixty million dollars back. Right now.”
The news crushed Reginald completely. His legs stopped working, and the proud leader of the Pembroke family dropped hard onto his knees on the cold floor. He stared at the broken glass, his money, his power, and his proud life completely destroyed.
“Please,” Reginald cried out, tears running down his red face. “Please, Mr. Sanders. Sixty million… we don’t have it. If you take it, we lose everything. Our house, our cars… we will be poor on the street!”
Alistair looked down at the crying man with cold eyes.
“You should have thought about that,” Alistair said softly, “before you told my wife to raise our son in the gutter.”
Barbara ran out of her chair toward my bed, reaching her hands out. “Florence! Help us! Talk to him!”
She did not get near me. Alistair snapped his fingers, calling for the security guards to finish it.
PART 4: THE EXECUTIONER’S BLOCK
“Guards,” Alistair said, his voice cut through my parents’ crying. “Take these people out. They are troubling my wife and child.”
The hospital boss quickly ran out into the hallway. “Yes, Mr. Sanders! Right away!”
In a second, two big security guards walked into the room. They saw what was happening and grabbed my father right away.
“Sir, you have to leave now,” the big guard said, picking Reginald up by his suit.
Reginald did not try to fight. He just stood there weakly, his eyes looking empty as he realized he had lost all his money and power.
Barbara, however, started screaming and swinging her arms at the other guard.
“Don’t touch me! Get your hands off me!” she yelled, her hair falling everywhere and her suit getting messy. “Do you know who I am? I am Barbara Pembroke! I give money to this hospital! I will get you fired!”
“You have no money left, Mother,” I said softly from my bed.
My voice was not loud, but she stopped screaming right away. Barbara turned to look at me with angry eyes, but she could do nothing to me anymore.
Reginald looked back at me while the guard pulled him toward the door. Tears were falling down his face as he tried one last time to make me feel bad.
“Florence, please!” Reginald cried out. “We are your family! Your mother and father! You can’t do this to us! Think of your brother Raymond!”
I looked down at Kirk. He was sleeping happily, completely safe from his mean grandparents. I felt Alistair standing right beside me, keeping us safe.
I looked up into my father’s crying face. I felt no sorrow or regret at all.
“You said you would never hold my baby,” I told him in a clear, strong voice. “I am just making sure you keep that promise. Get out.”
Reginald let out a sad cry and dropped his head. The guards dragged my parents out the door and down the hallway. Barbara’s loud screaming and Reginald’s crying got quieter and quieter as they were taken down the elevator, losing all their money, their status, and their daughter.
After they were gone, my phone on the table started buzzing loudly.
I picked it up and saw a big news story on the screen: