Chapter 5 - The Demolition
Grant scrambled backward until he hit the legs of his armchair, coughing and weeping. "Julian, please! Please, it was a mistake! I was stressed! The pressure at work—you know how it is! I'll go to therapy! I'll do anything!"
"Oh, you'll do plenty," Julian said, stepping over to the desk and picking up the glass of scotch I had poured. He took a sip, looking down at Grant like he was a diseased rat. "Let me explain exactly what is going to happen tonight. At 4:13 this morning, I received a secure digital file containing three years' worth of evidence. Photographs of bruises. Audio recordings of your threats. Medical reports from emergency rooms where you forced her to lie."
Grant buried his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I also received bank records," Julian continued ruthlessly. "Detailed ledgers showing exactly how much of Clara's inheritance you embezzled to pay off your gambling debts and fund your pathetic facade of a wealthy lifestyle. Did you really think you were clever, Grant? Did you think forging her signature on wire transfers wouldn't leave a paper trail?"
"I was going to pay it back!" Grant cried out, looking at me with desperate, pleading eyes. "Clara, tell him! I love you! I was going to fix it!"
I looked down at the man who had terrified me for three years. The monster who had controlled my every waking moment. Stripped of his power, his suits, and his intimidation, he wasn't a monster at all. He was just a small, pathetic, cruel little boy.
"You never loved me, Grant," I said, my voice steady and clear. "You only loved having something you could break."
Julian set the glass down. "Effective immediately, you are terminated from Mercer Dynamics. With cause. Specifically, violation of the company's moral turpitude clause, combined with corporate fraud. You see, Grant, you used company servers to move some of that stolen money. That makes it a federal crime."
Grant’s eyes rolled back slightly. He was hyperventilating. "No... no, please... my career... my life..."
"Your life belongs to me now," Julian stated. "My corporate lawyers have already filed a civil suit against you for the return of every single cent you stole from my sister. By tomorrow morning, your bank accounts will be frozen. Your car will be repossessed. Your name will be blacklisted across every industry in this country. You won't be able to get a job managing a fast-food restaurant."
"You can't do this!" Grant screamed, a sudden burst of panicked defiance breaking through. "This is my house! I have rights! I'll sue you! I'll tell the press!"
Julian laughed. It was a dark, hollow sound.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and tapped a single button.
Seconds later, the flashing red and blue lights of police cruisers illuminated the windows of the study, painting the room in a strobe-light of impending doom.
"They aren't here for a noise complaint, Grant," Julian said softly. "I handed the file to the District Attorney at noon today. The DA is an old college roommate of mine. He was absolutely disgusted by the audio files. The police are outside with a warrant for your arrest. Aggravated domestic assault. Grand larceny. Wire fraud."
The doorbell rang. Not a polite chime, but a heavy, authoritative pounding.
Police! Open the door! a voice shouted from the foyer.
Grant looked wildly around the room, like a trapped animal looking for a way out. There was none. The walls of the prison he had built for me had suddenly closed in on him.
"Clara..." Grant fell to his knees, crawling toward me, tears snotting down his face. He tried to grab my dress. "Clara, please don't let them take me! Please! I'll change! I swear to God I'll change!"
I stepped back, out of his reach. I looked at him with nothing but absolute pity and closure.
May you like
"I forgot the salt, Grant," I said quietly. "But I remembered everything else."
Julian walked over, took my hand, and led me out of the study, leaving Grant sobbing on the floor as the heavy boots of the police officers echoed down the hallway.
