Chapter 3: The Price of Arrogance
The sound of sirens approaching the gates was the final nail in the coffin.
Damian lunged forward, his face contorted with rage, but two security guards—hired by Montrose Global—stepped between them, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled, but he was nothing against the machinery Isabella had set in motion.
"I gave you a chance to be a decent human being," Isabella said, looking at him with nothing but cold detachment. "I chose you. I built you up. And you thought the best way to prove your worth was to tear me down."
"I'll destroy you for this!" Damian shrieked as they dragged him toward the door.
Isabella didn't even blink. She walked to the fireplace, picked up the emerald-green necklace Evelyn had accused her of stealing—which had been sitting in the safe the entire time, hidden by Vanessa—and dropped it into the roaring fire.
"The necklace was never the point, Evelyn," Isabella said, not looking back. "The point was your pride. And that, just like your fortune, is gone."
As the police led Damian and Vanessa away in handcuffs, the flashing blue lights reflected off the cold marble floors. Isabella walked out into the crisp afternoon air, not looking at the mansion that had once been her prison.
A sleek black car waited for her. She didn't glance at the paparazzi shouting her name. She simply stepped into the vehicle, closed the door, and looked at the tablet in her lap.
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The Cross empire was officially liquidated.
The story was over, and for the first time in years, the future was entirely her own. She tapped the screen, checked a box labeled Asset Reclaimed, and drove away, leaving the ruins of a small man's ego in the dust behind her.
