Chapter 9
The color drained entirely from Helen and Robert’s fair, rosy faces. The digital recorder in Thomas’s hand was an absolute, undeniable death sentence to their social standing and any legal threats they could possibly muster. The bright, natural sunlight illuminated their total, devastating defeat. They were trapped, outmaneuvered, and utterly ruined by their own cruelty.
"You... you recorded us?" Robert whispered, his voice trembling as he pressed the bloody cloth to his shattered nose. The arrogant patriarch was nothing more than a broken, terrified old man.
"I protect what is mine," Thomas said coldly, slipping the recorder back into his pocket. He looked at the security team. "Get them out of my house. Now."
The security guards moved with swift, unyielding precision. Two of them grabbed Robert by his arms, hauling him up from the floor. He didn't fight back; the fight had completely left him. The third guard approached Helen, taking the bundle of expensive clothes from her arms and dropping them carelessly onto the floor.
"Wait! My things! My jewelry!" Helen screamed, frantically trying to grab the items back.
"Two suitcases," the guard reminded her firmly, steering her toward the front door. "You have five minutes to pack them."
Within the allotted time, the two older Reeds were standing on the front porch of the grand estate, shivering in the crisp afternoon air. They each held a single, hastily packed suitcase. The bright daylight seemed to mock their sudden descent into poverty.
Thomas stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking the entrance, his work shirt a stark symbol of the labor that had built the empire they had just lost.
"Thomas, please," Helen begged one last time, real tears finally spilling down her cheeks as the reality of her situation set in. "We are your parents. We have nowhere to go."
"You made your bed, Helen. Now you get to sleep in it," Thomas replied, his voice devoid of any pity. "Do not ever attempt to contact me or my children again. If I see either of you near them, I will release the audio to every news outlet in this city. You will be universally despised."
He didn't wait for a response. Thomas stepped back and slammed the heavy mahogany doors shut, the loud, definitive click of the deadbolt echoing like a gunshot.
Inside the house, the silence was profound. The chaotic energy of the party and the violent confrontation had been entirely swept away. Thomas stood in the foyer, running a hand through his hair, letting out a long, heavy sigh. He turned around to see his three children standing near the staircase, holding hands, watching him with wide, trusting eyes.
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"Are the bad people gone, Daddy?" Rebecca asked softly.
"Yes, baby," Thomas smiled, the tension finally leaving his handsome face. He walked over and knelt in front of them, pulling all three into a massive, warm hug. "They are gone forever. It's just us now."
