Chapter 10 - The True Exit
I didn't stay to watch the police arrive. I didn't need to hear my father's pathetic apologies or my sister's desperate wailing.
I picked up the flash drive from the table and handed it to one of Elias’s security guards, instructing him to deliver it directly to the waiting FBI agents in the lobby.
Elias gently placed his hand on the small of my back. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes," I smiled, feeling a profound, heavy weight permanently lift off my chest.
I didn't sneak out the back doors. Elias and I turned around and walked slowly down the center aisle of the grand ballroom. The hundreds of wealthy guests parted respectfully, dropping their gaze, absolutely terrified of crossing the man holding my hand.
We walked out of the luxurious hotel and into the cold Chicago rain. A sleek, armored black Maybach was idling at the curb, its doors held open by a driver.
I sat in the back of the warm, quiet car, looking out the tinted window as we drove away from the venue. I had arrived in a cheap coat, mocked by my family as a pathetic, lonely spinster. I was leaving with my inheritance fully restored, my dignity intact, and the absolute love of a man who moved mountains to protect me.
May you like
My father had always loved an audience. And tonight, I had given him a finale he would never, ever forget.
If you were in my shoes, would you have ever given your father a chance to apologize privately, or did he deserve to lose everything in front of the entire city?
