Chapter 4 - Consequences and Reckoning
Three weeks after the dramatic boardroom showdown, the fallout continued to dominate the headlines. The media dubbed it "The Miracle Return of the Reed Empire."
In the city's central jail, the contrast between past luxury and present reality was stark.
Mark Thompson sat in a small, sterile visitation room, wearing an orange jumpsuit. His hair was messy, his eyes hollowed out by dark circles. The man who once wore five-thousand-dollar suits now looked completely broken.
Across the thick glass sat Lena Carter, also in prison uniform. Her glamorous persona was entirely shattered; her expensive hair extensions were gone, her face pale without makeup.
"This is all your fault, Mark!" Lena hissed through the intercom, tears of rage dripping down her face. "You told me Sarah was a nobody! You told me we were going to inherit billions! Now I'm facing five years for assault and grand theft!"
"Shut up, Lena!" Mark screamed back, slamming his hand against the partition. "You were the one who lost your temper in that restaurant! If you hadn't slapped her and ripped her clothes, none of this attention would have happened! Alexander’s team traced us because of the viral video of YOUR vanity!"
"I did that for YOU!" Lena cried out. "Because you said she was bothering you!"
"I used you!" Mark confessed ruthlessly, his desperation showing. "I never loved you, Lena! I used your father's connections to hide the money I stole from Sarah! You were just a shield!"
Lena froze, her heart shattering completely as the bitter reality sank in. Before she could scream again, a guard tapped on the glass.
"Visitation time is over," the guard grunted.
As Mark was dragged back to his cell, he received another visitor—Alexander’s chief legal counsel, a ruthless attorney named Victor Vance.
Victor slid a thick file across the table.
"What is this?" Mark asked, trembling.
"This is the civil suit filed by Mrs. Sarah Reed," Victor said coldly. "We are suing you for full restitution of every dollar stolen, pain and suffering, and total damages. Every asset you possess—your cars, your watch collection, your parents' house that you used as collateral—is being seized today."
"You can't leave me with nothing!" Mark panicked, tears finally spilling from his eyes. "Please! Tell Sarah I'm sorry! I was forced into it by Julian! I still love her!"
Victor smiled thinly, standing up and buttoning his suit coat.
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"Mrs. Reed had a message for you, Mr. Thompson," Victor said softly. "She said: You should have known your place."
Victor walked out, leaving Mark sobbing hysterically on the cold concrete floor of the prison, entirely ruined, completely forgotten, and facing twenty years behind bars.
