Chapter 7: The Arrest
While David stood in the hospital hallway, thirty miles away, federal law enforcement vehicles pulled into the driveway of the Sterling estate. Red and blue lights flashed against the manicured hedges and stone fountains. Inside, Eleanor sat in her drawing-room, still holding a glass of wine, trying to maintain an posture of regal indifference.
Agent Vance entered with two female officers. “Eleanor Sterling, you are under arrest for federal financial fraud, wire embezzlement, and criminal endangerment of a dependent minor.”
As the handcuffs clicked around her manicured wrists, the illusion finally shattered. Eleanor looked around her empty, cavernous mansion. Her high-priced attorneys had refused to pick up her late-night calls once they learned federal prosecutors were involved. Her son had walked away. Her staff stood in silence, watching her lead away without a word of sympathy.
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“This is a mistake!” Eleanor spat out as she was escorted down the marble grand staircase. “I built this family! I built everything!”
Agent Vance paused at the threshold, looking back at the dark, hollow luxury of the mansion. “You built a house of cards, Mrs. Sterling,” he said softly. “And you sacrificed your grandchild to keep it standing.”
