Chapter 5
Arnold’s expression darkened. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly pushed it down.
He snapped, “First, you pretended to be Erica’s assistant, and now you’ve brought people in here to wreck my place. Do you really think I’m someone you can just walk all over?”
Bruce shoved his way through the crowd, and the cruelty in his eyes was palpable. He shouted, “You had better think twice, kid! No one in this city’s brave enough to mess with Mr. Tucker!”
Bonnie crossed her arms. A mocking smile played on her lips as she said flippantly, “So what if you barged in with all these people? Just don’t be surprised if you end up crawling out later.”
Victor laughed instead of getting angry, yet his gaze was as cold as ice.
“Arnold, I showed you respect only out of consideration for Ms. Erica. Do you really think you matter?”
Victor walked forward slowly. The sound of his shoes on the marble echoed sharply. Each step seemed to grind against Arnold’s already tense nerves.
“Ms. Grace was humiliated in front of you, and you’re pretending you don’t see it,” Victor snarled. “What is this? With Ms. Erica gone these past few years, have you embezzled so much you’ve completely lost sight of who you are?”
Before Victor even finished speaking, my men moved in like shadows. They were swift, silent, and ruthless. In just seconds, those holding us down were squirming on the ground, howling in pain.
The medical team that came with us quickly stepped in and carefully wiped away the blood from Grace finally broke down in tears, and she clung to my sleeve, sobbing too hard to speak.
my
face.
Victor sighed and turned to look at me with a mix of helplessness and heartache. He said, “Ms. Erica, you saw it for yourself. They never believed you were still alive.”
He paused, then added, “Or perhaps they would rather you never came back.”
I leaned lazily against the edge of the stage, looking down coldly at the fools below.
The crowd looked defiant. One after another, they pulled out their phones to call for help. “What could a woman like her possibly do?” one man said.
“She’s all talk! Everyone knows Erica Costello’s name was built on hype,” another hissed.
“Yeah! I was already running the streets before she was even born!” an older man said.
“You’re all calling for backup?” I snorted lightly. Amusement flashed in my eyes as I said, “Good. It saves me the trouble of hunting everyone down myself.”
Arnold’s face turned as white as a sheet, and he stumbled a few steps back.
“N–no… no way,” he stammered violently. “I saw you go under with my own eyes…”
I narrowed my gaze, studying the young man who once followed me everywhere at
my
heels.
Now, he stood tall in a crisp, tailored suit, a million–dollar watch catching the light on his wrist. He could almost pass as someone important.
That fall into the high seas back then was my escape plan, but he believed it.
Before I left, I told him again and again to look after Grace for me. And this was how he did it? Even my Tempest Seal had turned into something of a street souvenir. Everyone had one!
Victor stepped forward with a stack of documents.
The sound of turning pages was sharp in the dead silence of the hall. With every page turned, Arnold’s breathing grew more frantic.
“You embezzled over 500 million dollars from Costello Group,” I muttered as I went through the papers. “You also forged equity transfer agreements and privately transferred assets under Grace’s name to Bonnie…”
I slammed the file shut and tossed it aside. The thick file landed with a sharp bang against the stage.
Arnold flinched, and beads of sweat broke out along his hairline.
“So the Costellos raised an ungrateful traitor.” I stood up slowly. “Is this how you repay us?”
