Chapter 5 - The Mother’s Collapse
Hearing her own words broadcasted across the chapel floor shattered Rosalind Duncan’s aristocratic composure. She gasped, grabbing her chest as her social standing, her family name, and her decades of carefully guarded prestige evaporated into the open air.
“Turn that off!” Rosalind shrieked, standing up and pointing a trembling finger at me. “She’s lying! This is a malicious conspiracy! They fabricated these recordings! Arrest this woman!”
None of the guests moved to help her. The wealthy elites who had spent years curating favor with the Duncan family slowly slid their chairs back, distancing themselves as if contagion were in the air. In the high-stakes world of corporate finance and elite society, a scandal of this magnitude was lethal. Associating with a falling dynasty was financial suicide.
“There’s no conspiracy, Mrs. Duncan,” one of the detectives stepping up the altar stairs said coolly, flashing a metallic badge. “I am Detective Miller, Financial Crimes and Special Victims Unit. We have executed search warrants on your family residence, your primary corporate offices, and your offshore safety deposit boxes this morning.”
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The detective turned his attention squarely to Jonathan, who stood paralyzed, his fingers still twitching where they had let go of my shoulders.
“Jonathan Duncan, you are under arrest for domestic abuse, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, wire fraud, identity theft, and corporate embezzlement.”
