\u201cI know everything,\u201d I said back smoothly. \u201cRaymond needs my twelve percent because he took forty million dollars out of the company bank accounts for himself, and now the money is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara gasped out loud and moved closer to me. \u201cThat is a lie! Raymond is smart! He is saving our company!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRaymond is a thief,\u201d I said, looking right at my mother. \u201cHe 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?\u201d<\/p>\n
Reginald swallowed hard, unable to say a word.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me I was too silly for business,\u201d I said in a calm voice. \u201cYou told me I was jealous of my brother and ordered me to go back to my desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reginald looked from me to Alistair, finally understanding what was happening.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d I said, watching them fall apart, \u201csince 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reginald\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
As Reginald started breathing fast in total fear, Alistair\u2019s head lawyer took out his phone and made a call that was going to destroy the Pembroke name for good.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave him our private files?!\u201d 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. \u201cYou bad girl! I will take you to court! I will send you to jail!\u201d<\/p>\n
He ran toward my bed with his hands out.<\/p>\n
Before Reginald could get close, Alistair stepped right in front of him. He put his big hand on my father\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not raise your voice near my family,\u201d Alistair warned in a dangerous whisper. \u201cAnd never step toward my wife again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWife?\u201d Barbara gasped, letting out a small cry as she finally got it.<\/p>\n
I was not some lonely woman left behind; I was fully protected.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot take anyone to court when all your bank accounts are locked, Reginald,\u201d the lawyer, Kendrick, said calmly. He tapped his tablet screen without looking at my father. \u201cA judge just locked all your accounts because of the fraud proof your daughter gave us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLocked?\u201d Reginald breathed out, his hands shaking as he pulled away from the wall. \u201cYou can\u2019t do that! You don\u2019t have the power!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government does,\u201d Kendrick said simply. \u201cPembroke Development\u2019s money is frozen while the police check the business. The government knows about the fake papers and the money your son Raymond stole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara fell into the visitor\u2019s chair, grabbing her pearls tight. \u201cRaymond\u2026 oh no! You are ruining Raymond! Florence, tell them to stop! He is your brother!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRaymond ruined himself, Mother,\u201d I answered, feeling no sadness for her. \u201cI just gave the police the proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine!\u201d Reginald spat out, pointing a shaking finger at Alistair. \u201cYou 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!\u201d<\/p>\n
Alistair gave a cold smile. It was not a happy look; it was the look of a big animal about to catch its food.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really think I would do this without blocking all your exits first, Reginald?\u201d Alistair asked softly, walking close to my father until he towered over him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Reginald asked, backing up until his back hit the wall again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou needed Florence\u2019s shares because your son lost all your money,\u201d Alistair explained in a plain voice. \u201cBut you missed one big thing. You needed cash, so you took out a huge loan of sixty million dollars from Vanguard Group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reginald swallowed hard, sweat dripping down his face. \u201cYes, we took the loan,\u201d he said in a quiet voice. \u201cBut they gave us more time to pay it back!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever check who owns Vanguard Group, Reginald?\u201d Alistair asked, tilting his head.<\/p>\n
The room was completely quiet. Reginald looked at Alistair, his eyes growing huge as he realized the truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI own Vanguard Group,\u201d Alistair whispered, getting very close to him. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease,\u201d Reginald cried out, tears running down his red face. \u201cPlease, Mr. Sanders. Sixty million\u2026 we don\u2019t have it. If you take it, we lose everything. Our house, our cars\u2026 we will be poor on the street!\u201d<\/p>\n
Alistair looked down at the crying man with cold eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have thought about that,\u201d Alistair said softly, \u201cbefore you told my wife to raise our son in the gutter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara ran out of her chair toward my bed, reaching her hands out. \u201cFlorence! Help us! Talk to him!\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not get near me. Alistair snapped his fingers, calling for the security guards to finish it.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuards,\u201d Alistair said, his voice cut through my parents\u2019 crying. \u201cTake these people out. They are troubling my wife and child.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hospital boss quickly ran out into the hallway. \u201cYes, Mr. Sanders! Right away!\u201d<\/p>\n
In a second, two big security guards walked into the room. They saw what was happening and grabbed my father right away.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, you have to leave now,\u201d the big guard said, picking Reginald up by his suit.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Barbara, however, started screaming and swinging her arms at the other guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t touch me! Get your hands off me!\u201d she yelled, her hair falling everywhere and her suit getting messy. \u201cDo you know who I am? I am Barbara Pembroke! I give money to this hospital! I will get you fired!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no money left, Mother,\u201d I said softly from my bed.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlorence, please!\u201d Reginald cried out. \u201cWe are your family! Your mother and father! You can\u2019t do this to us! Think of your brother Raymond!\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
I looked up into my father\u2019s crying face. I felt no sorrow or regret at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you would never hold my baby,\u201d I told him in a clear, strong voice. \u201cI am just making sure you keep that promise. Get out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reginald let out a sad cry and dropped his head. The guards dragged my parents out the door and down the hallway. Barbara\u2019s loud screaming and Reginald\u2019s crying got quieter and quieter as they were taken down the elevator, losing all their money, their status, and their daughter.<\/p>\n
After they were gone, my phone on the table started buzzing loudly.<\/p>\n
I picked it up and saw a big news story on the screen:<\/p>\n
\u201cI know everything,\u201d I said back smoothly. \u201cRaymond needs my twelve percent because he took forty million dollars out of … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amomama-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3713"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3716,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3713\/revisions\/3716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amomama.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}