A collective, horrified gasp sucked the air from the church. In the second pew, the chairman of the ValeTech board stood up, his face a mask of utter revulsion, and pointed a trembling finger at Evan, who was still pinned to the floor by the detective.
“You won’t get the company,” Emma’s voice whispered on the recording, a sudden, steely defiance cutting through her pain. “I called my grandfather’s lawyer. I know about the shares.”
There was the sound of shattering glass on the tape, followed by a heavy thud.
“You stupid bitch,” Evan hissed through the speakers. “You really think you’re going to live long enough to sign anything?”
The recording cut off with a sharp, digital click.
The silence that followed was heavier than the casket.
“Evan Vale,” Detective Miller said, hauling the struggling man to his feet by the chain of the handcuffs. “You are under arrest for the murder of Emma Vale, and the murder of your unborn child. You have the right to remain silent.”
Evan was hyperventilating, his perfectly styled hair hanging in his face, spit flying from his lips. He thrashed wildly against the detective’s grip, his eyes locking onto mine with a hatred so profound it felt radioactive.
“You think you’ve won, Margaret?” Evan screamed, his voice cracking, echoing hideously through the sacred space. “I built that company! ValeTech is mine! You won’t know what to do with it! I’ll destroy it from the inside before I let a pathetic old widow take my chair!”
I stood perfectly still, the cold calm returning to my veins. The storm had passed; only the icy aftermath remained.
“You built nothing, Evan,” I said quietly, though in the dead silence of the church, every word carried. “You merely inherited a machine. And now, I own it.”
As Detective Miller dragged him kicking and screaming down the center aisle, past the horrified stares of the people he had spent years manipulating, Celeste suddenly broke. She lunged toward the side aisle, desperately trying to slip past the pews, her veil torn, her pristine image shattered.
But the uniformed officers at the door caught her by the arms.
“Celeste Marrow,” the taller officer stated, producing his own cuffs. “You’re coming with us as an accessory to murder, and conspiracy to commit corporate fraud.”
