Chapter 5 - The Last Entry
The heavy oak door rattled violently as the police outside prepared to force their entry. Elena stood frozen between the mahogany desk and the glittering windows, her mind racing in absolute chaos. Sirens blared continuously from the street below, casting an erratic red and blue glow across the opulent penthouse.
"Open the door or we will breach!" the voice from the hallway shouted again, followed by the heavy thud of a boot hitting the wood.
Elena didn't hesitate. She lunged forward, snatching the leather-bound diary off the desk. The cover was worn, the leather cracked with age. She flipped frantically past decades of handwritten notes, financial ledgers, and personal correspondence until she reached the very last page. The ink there was fresh, written in the same hurried, messy script as the note Marcus had left her earlier.
Her eyes scanned the frantic handwriting, and her breath hitched in her throat.
"No... this is impossible," Elena whispered, her hands shaking so violently she could barely hold the book.
"Not impossible," Victoria said, standing entirely unbothered as the door splintered inward with a deafening crash. Two police officers in tactical vests rushed into the room, their weapons drawn and pointed directly at Elena.
"Hands on your head! Do it now!" the lead officer bellowed, stepping forward with zip-ties ready.
"Wait! Look at this!" Elena cried out, holding the diary up toward the officers while keeping her hands visible. "I've been framed! My husband—Marcus Vance—stole four million dollars and he’s fleeing the country! And look what else he did!"
The officer paused for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting from Elena’s tear-stained face and white lace wedding dress down to the open diary in her hands. He didn't lower his weapon, but he didn't advance either.
"Ma'am, step away from the desk and put your hands behind your back," the officer ordered sternly. "You are under arrest for grand larceny, wire fraud, and corporate identity theft. Anything you say—"
"Read the entry!" Elena screamed desperately, tears finally spilling over her lashes. "Marcus didn't just steal money! He stole the experimental medical formula from Vance Biotech, and he sold it to our biggest industrial rival!"
The second officer exchanged a sharp, uneasy glance with his partner. The name 'Vance Biotech' carried immense weight in New York City, drawing immediate attention from federal agencies.
Victoria finally stepped into the line of sight, her expression chillingly calm as she addressed the officers. "Officer, my grandson is a fugitive, and this woman is his primary co-conspirator. Cuff her and take her down through the service elevator. I want her processed immediately."
As the cold plastic zip-ties locked tightly around Elena’s wrists, biting painfully into her skin, she glared at her grandmother-in-law with pure venom.
"You knew," Elena spat, her voice trembling with rage. "You knew Marcus was stealing the formula all along, and you let him frame me so the family scandal wouldn't touch the board of directors!"
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Victoria turned her back, adjusting her dark blue beaded gown without a single trace of remorse. "Welcome to the family, Elena. But before you go to holding, you should check who funded your wedding in the first place."
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