Chapter 4 - The Fall of the House of Moretti
The 14th District station was a hive of activity, but the moment Victor and his legal team walked through the doors, the room seemed to shrink. Victor was pale, his eyes darting around as if looking for an exit. He was still wearing the same suit from his birthday dinner, but now, it looked like a shroud.
Gloria followed behind him, her face tight with a rage that seemed to be burning her from the inside out.
"I demand to speak to the Commissioner!" she shouted as the desk sergeant signaled for the officers to move in.
"You’ll have plenty of time to talk to people, Mrs. Moretti," the sergeant replied calmly, motioning for Victor to place his hands on the counter.
Watching the handcuffs snap onto Victor’s wrists was a moment of profound, quiet clarity. He didn't look like a titan of industry. He didn't look like the man who had terrified my daughter. He looked small. He looked like a coward who had finally run out of places to hide.
He locked eyes with me through the crowd of officers. For the first time, there was no smirk. No arrogance. Only a frantic, terrified realization that the game was over.
"You're a monster, Margaret," he spat, his voice strained.
"I’m just the mirror," I replied quietly.
As the officers led him away into the bowels of the precinct, I felt the heavy weight of the last three years begin to dissipate. I turned to see Rachel standing by the entrance, her hand in a police officer’s protective grip. She looked terrified, but as she watched him disappear behind the steel door, her shoulders began to drop. She took a breath—a real, deep, cleansing breath.
"It’s done," she said, her voice shaking.
May you like
"It’s begun," I corrected. "Now we start the process of reclaiming everything he took from you."
The news broke an hour later. Billionaire Contractor Arrested on Fraud and Assault Charges. The headline was splashed across every major network in Chicago. Within the hour, his business partners had held a press conference, distancing themselves from him entirely. The house of glass had shattered, and the shards were already being cleared away.
