Chapter 8 - The Clearing of the Estate
The process of evicting a parasite from a host is messy, loud, and deeply satisfying.
By the time the police escorted Brandon out through the front doors, the driveway was packed with people—neighbors holding up their phones, local bloggers livestreaming the arrest, and reporters shouting questions about the corporate embezzlement scandal that was already trending as the number one topic on social media across the state.
Nicole was sitting huddled in the corner of the sunken living room, weeping hysterically into her manicured hands, her designer purse discarded on the floor beside her.
Two female officers approached her quietly, reading her rights under suspicion of conspiracy to commit financial fraud and aiding in corporate embezzlement. She didn't fight back; she simply allowed herself to be led away through the back service entrance, avoiding the cameras and the howling crowd gathered at the front gates.
When the last police cruiser pulled away down the driveway, the heavy silence of the mansion returned. But this time, it wasn't a suffocating, tomb-like quiet. It was the crisp, clean silence of a space that had been thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected.
I walked slowly back into the living room, where the massive projector screen was still glowing softly, now displaying a simple, elegant corporate logo of my grandfather's company.
A small pair of arms wrapped tightly around my waist from behind.
I looked down. Ethan was pressing his face against my jacket, his small frame trembling slightly now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade. I knelt down, pulling him into my arms and burying my face in his soft hair, letting out a long, shuddering breath I felt like I had been holding for four years.
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"We did it, Mom," Ethan whispered against my shoulder, his voice muffled. "Are we going to be okay?"
"We are going to be more than okay, baby," I promised him, kissing the top of his head fiercely. "We are going to be better than ever."
