Chapter 3 - The Arrest
The high-definition audio of the kitchen assault blasted through the foyer.
"Get out of my home!" "Say that again."
Gabriel’s jaw dropped. The color completely drained from his face as he watched himself on the screen, holding the cast-iron skillet and deliberately dumping the boiling sauce over my legs. Patricia let out a strangled gasp, backing away until her spine hit the hallway wall.
The video continued, showing Patricia snatching the pan, wiping the handle, and coaching Gabriel on the lie.
"It slipped. Do you understand? Evelyn dropped it herself."
Officer Ramirez didn't waste a single second. He unholstered his handcuffs and stepped aggressively toward Gabriel. "Gabriel Vance, you are under arrest for aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and domestic violence."
"Wait! No! It's a setup!" Gabriel screamed, struggling as Officer Ramirez grabbed his wrist and slammed him against the wall. "She filmed me without my consent! That camera is illegal! You can't use that!"
"Georgia is a one-party consent state for video recording inside a private residence owned by the victim, Mr. Vance," Marcus stated with cold precision. "And you just gave a false statement to a law enforcement officer on camera."
The second officer stepped toward Patricia, pulling out another pair of handcuffs. "Patricia Vance, you are under arrest as an accessory to aggravated battery, tampering with physical evidence, and filing a false police report."
"Don't you dare touch me!" Patricia shrieked, kicking and flailing her arms like a maniac as the officer forced her arms behind her back. "Do you know who I am?! My husband is Raul Vance! We will sue this department into the ground! Evelyn, you ungrateful little bitch! Tell them to stop!"
I walked slowly out of the bedroom, supported by a paramedic. I looked Patricia dead in the eyes, my expression cold and devoid of any mercy.
"My father built this security system to protect me from snakes, Patricia," I said, my voice echoing clearly through the foyer. "You and your son picked the wrong family to prey on."
"Evelyn! Baby, please!" Gabriel whimpered, his voice cracking into pathetic sobs as he was dragged toward the front door in handcuffs. "It was a mistake! I was stressed! My mother made me do it! Please don't do this to me!"
"Save it for the judge, Gabriel," I said softly as the paramedics helped me onto the transport chair.
May you like
As Gabriel and Patricia were hauled down the hallway in iron cuffs, neighbors poked their heads out of their doors, filming the humiliating spectacle on their phones. The powerful, arrogant Vance family was stripped of their dignity in broad daylight.
Marcus walked beside my chair, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Phase one is complete, Evelyn. Now we move to phase two: dismantling their entire financial network."
