Chapter 13 - The Perp WalkThe spectacle outside the motel was nothing short of a media circus. Marcus had tipped off the local news stations, and three news vans were already parked on the cracked pavement, their cameras rolling.
As Thomas watched from the tinted windows of his SUV parked across the street, a dozen armed officers swarmed Room 104.
Moments later, Robert Vance was led out in handcuffs. He kept his head bowed, trying to hide his bruised face from the blinding camera flashes.
Helen was a different story. She was practically dragged out by two female officers, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Don't touch me! I am Helen Vance! Do you know who I am? Take these cuffs off me!"
The cameras caught every second of her humiliating breakdown—her designer pajamas stained, her hair wild, her dignity entirely stripped away on national television.
Meanwhile, halfway across the city, Lily and Hunter were sitting in the crowded, noisy cafeteria of their new public high school. Hunter was staring miserably at a soggy piece of pizza when his phone buzzed. A friend from Briarwood had sent him a video link with the caption: Bro, is this your grandma?!
Hunter clicked the link. The live news feed popped up on his screen.
BREAKING NEWS: VANCE HOLDINGS FOUNDERS ARRESTED FOR MASSIVE FRAUD.
Lily leaned over to look at the screen and let out a horrified squeak. "No... no, no, no..."
Kids around them began to notice. Whispers erupted. Fingers pointed. The same teenagers who used to rule the halls with an iron fist were now the children of disgraced, bankrupt criminals. Lily shoved her phone into her pocket, grabbed her cheap backpack, and ran out of the cafeteria in tears, finally experiencing a fraction of the humiliation she had inflicted on her cousin Jacob just days earlier.
Back at the motel, Thomas watched as the police cruisers sped away, carrying his in-laws out of his life forever.
"It's done, sir," Marcus said from the driver's seat. "The DA is pushing for no bail due to flight risk. They’ll remain in custody until the trial."
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Thomas leaned back against the plush leather seat and let out a long, heavy exhale. For years, the Vances had been a dark cloud hovering over his family. Today, the sky was finally clear.
"Take us home, Marcus," Thomas said, a soft, genuine smile finally touching his lips. "I promised Jacob we'd build a Lego castle today."
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