Chapter 4 - The Tables Turn
The deputies stepped forward, flanking Victoria on either side, their hands resting casually on their utility belts.
"This is a mistake! A conspiracy!" Victoria screamed, thrashing against the air as she tried to maintain her aristocratic dignity while her life crumbled into dust. "Olivia! Charlotte! Call Senator Sterling! Call our bankers!"
"Your bankers won't take your calls, Mother," Charlotte whispered, her voice hollow as she stared blankly at her phone screen, where a banking app displayed a frozen, zeroed-out balance. "All our accounts... they're locked. Every single credit card was just declined."
Olivia stared at Samantha with eyes burning with pure, unadulterated venom. "You did this. You sneaky, miserable little rat. You sat down there in the dirt and played the victim just so you could steal everything from us!"
Samantha didn't flinch. For the first time in her life, the crushing weight of fear that had kept her shoulders hunched for years simply melted away. She looked at her stepsister—the girl who had mocked her torn apron, who had laughed while water splashed over her bare feet—and saw only a pathetic, small-minded stranger.
"I didn't steal anything, Olivia," Samantha said, her voice steady, clear, and resonant. "I just finally stood up."
Alexander offered his arm to Samantha. She looked down at her hands—still slightly red from the soapy dishwater—and then up at the billionaire. Without hesitation, she placed her hand gently over his forearm.
"Are you ready to leave this place, Samantha?" Alexander asked quietly, his eyes filled with a deep, unspoken promise.
"Yes," Samantha replied, her heart soaring. "Let's go home."
"Not so fast," a sharp, venomous hiss cut through the foyer.
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Victoria wrenched herself away from the deputies for a split second, pointing a trembling, manicured finger directly at Alexander’s face. "You think you've won, Alexander Hayes? You think a billionaire can just waltz in here and destroy a family dynasty over a brat in an apron? You're playing with fire! The Collins family holds contracts you can't break, secrets you can't bury!"
Alexander didn't even look back at her as he guided Samantha toward the grand double doors. "My legal team owns your debt, Mrs. Collins. Your dynasty died the moment you decided to treat a human being like garbage. Enjoy the county jail."
