Chapter 4 - The Cell and the Mirror
The county jail was cold, loud, and smelled faintly of bleach and stale sweat.
Ryan sat in a small holding cell, still wearing his custom-tailored linen shirt, which was now wrinkled, stained, and missing two buttons from his brief struggle with the police. His perfectly styled hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot.
The door opened, and his high-priced defense attorney, Arthur Pendelton, stepped into the room holding a leather briefcase.
"Arthur!" Ryan jumped up, grabbing the bars before the guard signaled him to sit down at the metal table. "Thank God! Get me out of here! This is an absolute nightmare! That crazy bitch had me arrested in front of the whole neighborhood!"
Pendelton sat down slowly, unbuttoning his suit jacket. He did not look pleased.
"Sit down, Ryan," Pendelton said, his voice cold and dry. "And stop talking."
"Did you post bail?" Ryan demanded, sitting opposite him. "Where is my mother? We need to get back to the house and secure the server room before Ava touches the—"
"Your mother is currently staying in a cheap motel because all her accounts have been locked by federal agents," Pendelton interrupted sharply. "And as for your bail, the judge denied it."
Ryan’s mouth fell open. "Denied? On a simple domestic dispute charge?! That’s ridiculous!"
"It’s not a simple domestic dispute charge anymore, Ryan," Pendelton said, opening his folder and sliding a document across the table. "You are facing charges of primary aggravated assault, felony extortion, corporate fraud, tax evasion, and grand larceny. The prosecution submitted high-definition video of you striking your wife, dragging her by the hair, and explicit audio recordings of you threatening her life while demanding she hand over estate ownership."
Ryan winced, his face going pale. "She... she was recording?"
"She was recording everything," Pendelton said. "And she didn't just give it to the local police. She gave it to the District Attorney, the IRS, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Your mother’s shell company, Apex Holdings, has been formally flagged for foreign money laundering."
Ryan collapsed back into his chair, running his hands through his messy hair. "No... no, no, no. Ava wouldn't do that. She loves me! She’s weak! She’s just trying to scare me so I’ll apologize!"
Pendelton looked at Ryan with profound pity mixed with disgust. "You idiot. She isn't trying to scare you. She’s destroying you. And she’s doing it with complete legal precision."
"Can't we fight this?!" Ryan pleaded, leaning across the table. "Use the trust money! Pay off the DA! Find something on her!"
"With what money?" Pendelton asked dryly. "Your personal accounts had a total of twelve thousand dollars in them—money that was transferred from the trust yesterday and has now been clawed back under court order. Your company is in receivership. I haven't even been paid my retainer fee yet. If I don't see funds by tomorrow morning, I am withdrawing as your counsel."
"You can't abandon me!" Ryan yelled, his voice cracking with desperation.
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"I can, and I will," Pendelton said, standing up and closing his briefcase. "You made the ultimate mistake, Ryan. You mistook a woman's gentle nature for stupidity. You thought you were the predator in that house, but you were just a parasite. And now the host has removed you."
The attorney turned and signaled the guard to open the door, leaving Ryan alone in the white-tilted room, the heavy iron door slamming shut behind him with a terrifying, final clanging sound.
