Chapter 15 - The Final Trap
Ten minutes later, two police cruisers pulled up directly in front of the Vanguard Tech corporate headquarters, their blue and red emergency lights flashing against the glass facade of the building. Inside the lobby, Rebecca Lawson was standing near the reception desk, screaming hysterically at the security guards while waving a thick stack of papers in the air.
"She’s a fraud! Sarah Sterling is a thief!" Rebecca shrieked, her mascara running down her cheeks, her hair wild and unkempt. "She ruined Daniel’s life, and now she’s stealing millions that don't belong to her!"
The elevator doors behind the reception desk slid open with a soft chime. I stepped out into the lobby, flanked by Marcus and two uniformed police officers, my expression completely serene, my posture immaculate. The stark contrast between my composed, powerful presence and Rebecca’s unhinged hysteria was absolute.
"Looking for someone, Rebecca?" I asked, my voice carrying clearly across the quiet lobby.
Rebecca spun around, her eyes widening in manic fury as she lunged toward me, brandishing the papers. "You ruined everything! You took Daniel, you took our money, you took my job—!"
Before she could take another step, the two police officers moved swiftly, pinning her arms behind her back and slapping a pair of cold steel handcuffs around her wrists. She let out a piercing shriek of rage as they dragged her backward toward the exit.
At that exact moment, the glass front doors swung open, and local law enforcement officers marched inside the lobby, flanked by my cybersecurity chief, dragging a thoroughly terrified, sweating Daniel Sterling by his arms. He had been arrested directly at the nearby diner while uploading the forged documents to the media.
Daniel locked eyes with me across the crowded lobby, his face pale, his lips trembling as he realized the absolute totality of his defeat.
"Sarah… please," he choked out, his knees buckling as the officers forced him down beside Rebecca. "Drop the charges… we can fix this…"
I walked slowly over to where they were being held, looking down at the two people who had tried to destroy my life out of pure malice and greed.
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"You tried to commit cyber fraud, corporate sabotage, and criminal extortion," I said, my voice dropping into a cold, lethal whisper that only the two of them could hear. "You didn't just lose everything, Daniel. You're both going to federal prison for a very, very long time."
The police officers hauled them both to their feet, marching them out of the building toward the waiting patrol cars as the flashing lights painted the lobby in bright shades of blue and red.
