Chapter 5 - THE ARREST
The heavy oak doors at the main entrance of the ballroom groaned as they were pushed open from the outside.
Four uniformed police officers stepped into the hall, their polished duty belts clicking loudly against the quiet backdrop of the stunned crowd. Leading them was a senior detective clad in a grey trench coat, holding an active arrest warrant in his hand.
Marissa didn't look surprised. She turned slightly, keeping her arm around Lily, and addressed her brother one final time.
"Your wedding is over, Gareth. The police are waiting outside."
Gareth spun around, his eyes locking onto the approaching officers. His instincts took over; he took two steps toward the side exit leading to the kitchen, but two venue security guards—men who answered directly to the venue's master management, not Gareth's firm—stepped forward to block the double doors.
"Gareth Vance?" Detective Miller’s voice echoed across the room as he approached the head table. "You are under arrest for grand larceny, filing a false police report, and child endangerment."
"This is a mistake!" Eleanor screamed, throwing herself between the police and her son. "Do you know who we are? My late husband built this city's port authority! You can't do this here!"
"Ma'am, step aside," the detective said calmly, pushing past her with practiced indifference.
The officers closed in on Gareth. Within seconds, his hands were pulled behind his back, the sharp metallic click of handcuffs snapping shut ringing out clearly against the silent room. The pristine white cuffs of his tuxedo shirt were bunched up under the steel restraints.
Gareth thrashed violently against their grip, his polished hair falling out of place, dropping his former composure entirely. "Marissa! You bitch! You planned this! You set me up!"
"You set yourself up the moment you touched my daughter," Marissa replied, her tone icy and unflinching.
As the officers began dragging Gareth down the central aisle—the very aisle he was meant to walk down in triumph just twenty minutes later—the guests shrank back, pulled out their phones, and began filming the downfall of the Vance heir.
May you like
Eleanor fell to her knees beside the head table, sobbing hysterically into her hands, her golden jewelry clattering against the floorboards.
Marissa looked down at her mother for a brief second, then picked up Lily into her arms, resting her daughter's head gently against her shoulder. Without looking back at the chaos, she turned and began walking toward the private exit.
