Chapter 10 - THE FINAL MOVE OF THE PRESCOTT FAMILY
The Prescott empire was falling.
But powerful people rarely surrender quietly.
For weeks, they had tried to control the story.
They tried intimidation.
They tried legal pressure.
They tried destroying my reputation.
Every move failed.
But Margaret Prescott was not the kind of person who accepted defeat.
She was the kind of person who believed losing was impossible.
And when people like that lose control, they become dangerous.
The morning after the court hearing, Daniel arrived at my house.
His expression told me something was wrong.
“Victoria.”
I looked at him.
“What happened?”
He placed a folder on the table.
“They made another move.”
I opened it.
Inside was a new lawsuit.
Not against Emily.
Not against me.
Against the entire investigation.
“They’re claiming evidence was illegally obtained.”
I shook my head.
“They are trying to delay everything.”
Daniel nodded.
“They know the truth is already public.”
“They know they cannot change what people saw.”
“So they are trying to slow down the consequences.”
I looked through the documents.
The Prescott family had one final weapon.
Time.
They wanted months.
Maybe years.
Enough time for people to forget.
Enough time for attention to disappear.
But they underestimated something.
I had spent my entire career dealing with people who believed waiting would make them stronger.
It never did.
That evening, Emily came into my room.
She looked worried.
“Mom.”
I turned.
“What is it?”
“I received a message.”
My expression changed.
“From who?”
She handed me her phone.
The message was from Ethan.
Only one sentence.
“You have no idea what you have started.”
I stared at the screen.
Emily looked afraid.
“I thought it was over.”
I placed the phone down.
“It will be.”
“But not because they stop.”
“Because we finish it.”
The next day, we discovered something unexpected.
Ethan wanted to meet.
Alone.
Daniel immediately warned me.
“This could be a trap.”
“I know.”
“Then why go?”
I looked at Emily.
“Because if he wants to talk, I want to hear what he says.”
The meeting took place at a small private office.
Ethan arrived twenty minutes late.
That alone told me everything.
He was still trying to control the situation.
He sat across from me.
For the first time, he did not look powerful.
He looked exhausted.
“You ruined everything,” he said.
I looked at him calmly.
“No.”
“You ruined everything when you hurt my daughter.”
He looked down.
“You don't understand my family.”
I almost laughed.
“I understand them perfectly.”
“They believe money protects them.”
Ethan was silent.
Then he said something I never expected.
“My mother knew.”
I watched him carefully.
“Knew what?”
“That Emily was planning to leave.”
“And?”
“She had people watching her.”
My hands tightened.
“You let it happen.”
His eyes dropped.
“I was afraid.”
That answer did not make me forgive him.
Fear explained weakness.
It did not excuse cruelty.
Before leaving, Ethan gave me something.
A small storage device.
“My father kept copies of everything.”
I looked at him.
“Why are you giving me this?”
He swallowed.
“Because I finally realized something.”
“What?”
“My family didn't protect me.”
“They destroyed me too.”
When I returned home, Daniel checked the device.
Within minutes, his expression changed.
“Victoria.”
“What?”
“This is everything.”
Emails.
Payments.
Private conversations.
Evidence showing how the Prescott family controlled people for years.
Margaret Prescott did not just hide abuse.
May you like
She built a system around it.
And now that system was about to collapse completely.
