Chapter 6 - The Family Fallout
I stopped three feet away from my mother, my arms crossed over my expanding stomach. The afternoon heat beat down on the asphalt of the police parking lot, but I felt completely numb.
“Mother, where was your concern for my life or my child’s life when Brooke laughed while Mason smashed a heavy cake into my pregnant belly as a distraction?” I asked, my voice terrifyingly calm. “Where was your concern when she broke into my home and committed a federal felony?”
“She’s your sister!” Mother sobbed, grabbing my sleeve. “Families forgive each other! You can’t let her rot in a jail cell!”
“She’s not rotting in a jail cell because of me, Mother,” Daniel said, stepping between us and pushing my mother’s hand off my arm with firm gentleness. “She’s there because she chose greed over family. She conspired with a criminal to destroy my life’s work and put thousands of innocent people at risk. We are not dropping a single charge.”
Mother spun around, glaring at Daniel with sudden, venomous hatred. “You arrogant bastard! You brought this on us with your high-and-mighty corporate lifestyle! If you hadn’t locked your stupid office like a paranoid dictator—”
“Helen, stop,” a deep, commanding voice interrupted.
We all turned. My father, who had stayed silent and withdrawn through the entire ordeal, stepped out of a silver sedan parked two spaces down. He looked tired, leaning heavily on his wooden walking cane. He walked past my mother without looking at her and stopped in front of me.
“Your mother is speaking out of grief and profound foolishness, Claire,” Father said, his voice raspy. “She raised Brooke to believe that consequences only applied to other people. I tried to warn her years ago, but I failed.” He looked at Daniel. “Son, do what you have to do to protect your business and your family. I will not ask you to compromise your integrity for my daughter.”
“Thank you, Arthur,” Daniel said quietly, using my father’s first name out of mutual respect.
We got into our car and drove home, leaving my mother weeping beside her car in the parking lot.
Over the next two weeks, the scandal exploded across local and national news outlets. The Raleigh News & Observer ran front-page exposés on the corporate espionage attempt at Apex Architectural Group. Marcus Vance was arrested at Raleigh-Durham International Airport trying to board a one-way flight to the Cayman Islands. His firm collapsed within forty-eight hours as corporate clients fled in terror.
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Mason was placed under the temporary legal guardianship of our uncle Henry while Brooke sat in jail awaiting her grand jury indictment. True to his teenage nature, Mason tried to post a TikTok apology video crying about how "toxic" his family was, but the internet backlash was so swift and brutal that he deleted his social media accounts entirely within an hour.
Meanwhile, Daniel and I focused on what mattered most: preparing for our baby daughter’s arrival.
