My husband kicked me out of the car with no money and said, “Do whatever you want.” But the woman…
The door to my office was slightly ajar. I pushed it open and walked in. All three of them were there.
Marcus, standing by the window. Tiffany, sprawled in my desk chair, and District Attorney Chambers, sitting on a visitor’s chair. His massive body seemed to fill the entire space, making the already small office as cramped as a cage.
«Well, look who decided to join us, the business lady!» Tiffany drawled, sizing me up from head to toe. «Came alone. Good girl. Did you bring the documents?»
I silently placed the folder with the notarized transfer of rights on the table. Marcus immediately snatched it, checking it greedily. «Everything’s in order,» he said, nodding to Tiffany.
«Where are the investors?» Tiffany looked at me impatiently. «Well, where are your Swiss guys? Where’s the money?»
I slowly, calmly surveyed all of them. I looked at the greedy Marcus, the predatory Tiffany, and the heavy, self-assured District Attorney. «They’re here,» I said quietly.
At that moment, a blinding light struck outside the window. Huge spotlights, mounted on the roofs of the workshops, flared up, flooding the entire factory yard with merciless white light. Marcus, Tiffany, and Chambers rushed to the window.
In the courtyard, people stood by all the exits from the building. At one exit, Leo stood with a cameraman, aiming the lens right at our windows. At another, two men in sharp business suits stood.
Federal agents. «What is this?» Tiffany shrieked. Chambers understood everything instantly.
His face turned an earthy gray. «It’s a set-up!» he roared. Marcus, insane with fury and fear, turned and lunged at me.
«I’ll kill you!» But I was ready. I stepped aside and he flew past me, crashing into the filing cabinet.
At the same moment, I pulled out my phone and hit the playback button. The small speaker filled the silent office with the recording of my conversation with Marcus. Tia’s hysterical, tearful voice, and his irritated, smug responses.
Everything was played. The bribing of my sister, the apartment scam, the fraud, and most importantly, his promise to shut up the district attorney as soon as they crossed the border. Chambers’ face contorted.
He looked at Marcus with such hatred that it seemed he was ready to incinerate him on the spot. At that moment, the office door flew open and the federal agents appeared in the doorway. «Everyone stay put. Federal Anti-Corruption Task Force is in operation.»
Chambers straightened up, trying to regain his authoritative demeanor. «Do you know who I am? I am the district attorney of this city.»
«We know,» the lead agent replied calmly. «That’s why we’re here. Mr. Chambers, you are being detained on suspicion of abuse of power and concealment of economic crimes.»
Two other agents entered the office and snapped handcuffs onto the district attorney’s wrists. Tiffany screamed, but it was a scream not of fear, but of savage rage. She turned and punched Marcus across the face with all her strength.
«You loser!» She shrieked, pummeling him with her fists. «You ruined everything! You destroyed everything! I hate you!»
The agents pulled her away. Marcus stood completely crushed, holding his head in his hands. He, too, was taken by the arms and led toward the exit.
He was broken, completely and finally. Several weeks passed. The sound of the drill was the best music I had heard in months.
A locksmith was finishing the installation of the third, most secure lock on my front door. The old locks Marcus had broken were lying on a newspaper in the hallway. I stood by the window in my living room, looking out at the city.
The apartment was mine entirely. The criminal case against me had been closed. The testimonies of Marcus and Chambers, who in a desperate attempt to reduce their sentences had begun to sink each other and Tia put everything in its proper place.
The phone rang. It was Mr. Thompson, my boss from the plant. «Naomi Sterling. Good afternoon. I’m calling as promised.»
«The order for your appointment has been signed. Starting Monday, you are the head of the planning department.» «Thank you, Mr. Thompson. I won’t let you down.»
«I have no doubt of that,» he replied. «You essentially saved the plant from a huge scandal and financial loss. It’s the least we could do.»
I hung up. Head of the planning department, the very department that Marcus’s scam had nearly destroyed, now I would rebuild it. The locksmith in the hallway finished his work.
«All set, ma’am? Ready for inspection. Couldn’t be safer.» I took the new set of keys, heavy and solid. I ran my fingers over the cold metal.
It was over. I had been through hell, but I had emerged as someone different. I had lost my husband, my sister, and my faith in people, but I had found myself.
I was home, and now I decided who could enter my door.
