Chapter 3 - The Final Confrontation
Grant Holloway stood in the lobby, looking like a man who had been dragged through a hurricane. His suit was wrinkled, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. The "billionaire" charisma had evaporated, leaving behind a desperate, fragile ego.
He watched as Ethan Bennett walked toward him, flanked by his usual shadows.
"I have a right to see her!" Grant yelled, drawing the attention of every nurse and patient in the lobby. "She’s my wife! Those are my children!"
Ethan stopped a few feet away. He didn't look angry. He looked pitying.
"Grant, look around you," Ethan said, gesturing to the lobby. "Do you see a single person looking at you with respect? You’re not a mogul anymore. You’re a liability."
"I made a mistake!" Grant hissed, stepping into Ethan’s personal space. "It was a fight! Every marriage has them!"
"You kicked a pregnant woman," Ethan said, his voice cold and flat. "There is no 'every marriage' about that. You attempted to kill your own son to protect your ego."
Grant’s face twisted in rage, and he lunged.
It was a clumsy, pathetic movement. Before Grant’s fist could even reach Ethan’s chest, one of the guards had seized his arm, twisting it behind his back with such force that Grant let out a choked cry.
"Get your hands off me!" Grant shouted.
"You’re being detained for assault, Mr. Holloway," a new voice entered the mix.
Two LAPD detectives, accompanied by an officer from the District Attorney’s office, stepped forward. One of them held out a pair of handcuffs.
"Grant Holloway, you are under arrest for the domestic assault of Claire Holloway, as well as pending federal charges for wire fraud, embezzlement, and racketeering."
Grant went limp. As the cold metal clicked around his wrists, the reality finally set in. He looked up at the ceiling, at the cameras, at the people whispering, and realized he wasn't going to be leaving in a private car. He was going to be leaving in the back of a police cruiser.
"Ethan," Grant choked out, his voice barely a whisper. "Please. Tell her… tell her I’m sorry."
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Ethan didn't respond. He simply signaled the guards to step back and let the police do their work. As they led Grant toward the exit, the cameras flashed. The man who had once owned the city was now just a headline.
As the sirens faded into the night, Ethan turned and walked back to the elevators.
