BILLIONAIRE'S POSSESSION: A DANGEROUS CRAVING

4: Tale

ia's

I knew what I had to do. I put a call through

of my stomach, I steeled my nerves and placed

trice, his brother Christopher, and Mildred, the woman who had always seemed determined to make my li

rice asked, her brow furrowed. "Derek tell

t's putting it mildly, Aunt Beatrice. I'm here because I nee

features. "Sophia, darling, surely this can wait. We'

tion. "No, Derek, this can't wait. I have evidence of your embezzl

y of gasps and denials, but I

proof right here," I said, pulling the documents

ith a bewildered expression. "Sophia, what is the meaning of this?

rstand this is difficult to hear, but I assure you, every word is true. Derek has been stea

ph, you can't honestly expect us to believe that. Derek's a good man

Pillar of the community? Open your eyes, Christopher! Your brother is a th

er eyes narrowed in a venomous glare. "How dare you speak to us that way, Sophia

. "What? Mildred, how can you p

re, Sophia. They have needs, desires, and sometimes they indulge in

ed the depth of their delusion. "You can't be serious. You

erstand that the world works differently for us. We're not like you –

ding in my ears. "Allowances? For embezzleme

ophia, darling, you have to understand. What I did, I did for us,

we deserve? Derek, you stole from your own company, you betrayed me, and you treated

w dare you accuse my brother, you ungrateful harlot! You should thank goodness that

her strike echoing through my

phia. And men like him are always entitled to their indiscretion

hrough my veins. This was no longer just about exposing Derek's cr

g for this family, for this life, and this is how you repay me? By excusing Derek's betrayal and

ezzlement, fraud, and misappropriation of company assets. You have the right to re

ce and Mildred erupted into a flurry of protest

ild with fury. "Derek is a good man, a pillar of th

as Aunt Beatrice snatched the incriminating documents fro

nto mine. "Now, what exactly do you think you'

sinking in. Without the evidence, the police would have no c

You think you can just waltz in here and accuse our family of wrongdoing? Well, think

ho could have helped me, was bankrupt and had no influence left in this town. I

azes shifting between the Thornes and me. "Ma

ll I see is a hysterical woman making baseless accusations against an upstanding member of

on. I could see the wheels turning in their minds, weighin

to the station for further questioning," one of the o

You see, my family has a long history of generosity and support for this community, and I'm quite cert

ace paling. "Ma'am, I...

ree man, and he's going home with us. As for you, Sophia," she turned to me, her lips curling into a cruel smile,

ace smug and triumphant. Mildred shot me a final, venomous glare before t

e that I had them cornered, that the evidence would be enough to bring them down. But the Thornes

ad been through. But the truth was, I had no idea what to do next. The Thornes had made it clear tha

heart. I had risked everything to expose the truth, and now I had nothing to show

my hands, the weight of my failure crushing me. I had been so close, so sure

the empty house only serving to amplify the turmoil within me. What was I going

erie. I rose on shaky legs, my heart pounding in my

" I let o

hing mor