Chapter 3 - The Price of Greed
The following weeks were a whirlwind of legal filings and press conferences.
The Blackwood story was splashed across every major news outlet.
It was a cautionary tale of a family whose arrogance had outpaced their bank account.
Vivian Blackwood was suddenly a woman under house arrest, facing multiple counts of financial misconduct.
Her country club memberships were revoked.
Her friends were the first to testify against her.
I spent most of my time in my father’s home office, assisting his legal team.
It was grueling.
But there was a quiet justice in seeing every piece of the puzzle finally align.
Ethan, once the golden boy, was now facing a lengthy prison sentence.
His signatures on the embezzlement forms had become the primary evidence.
He tried to call me.
He left dozens of voicemails.
He claimed he had been coerced by his mother.
I never listened to a single one.
One afternoon, Vivian managed to reach my private number.
I picked up.
"You ruined us," she hissed.
"You played us from the very beginning."
I leaned back in my chair, looking out at the gardens.
"I didn't play you, Vivian."
"I simply gave you the opportunity to show the world exactly who you were."
"You chose to be a bully, and you chose to steal."
"I just happened to be the one holding the checkbook."
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I hung up before she could speak again.
The victory felt like a necessary cleanup.
