Chapter 5 - The Fallout
By Friday morning, the dominoes were falling faster than anyone could catch them.
The federal investigation was officially confirmed by the Department of Justice’s Charlotte field office. Wade Development’s assets were placed into court-supervised receivership. The Eastside Condominium project was officially shut down, construction cranes sitting idle against the grey sky like monuments to corporate greed.
Social media had turned on Preston and the Sinclairs with a ferocity that defied belief. The TikTok video of Preston’s engagement speech—where he publicly humiliated me with a live microphone—had surpassed two million views. Netizens had dubbed him "Preston the Parasite," and local restaurants, country clubs, and charity boards were publicly revoking their memberships and affiliations with the Wade family.
I was sitting in my kitchen, drinking chamomile tea, when my phone rang.
It was an unknown number with a local area code.
I hesitated for a second before swiping to answer.
“Simone?”
The voice was small, cracked, and utterly defeated. It took me a moment to recognize it.
Preston.
“Preston,” I said neutrally.
“Please,” he choked out, a ragged sob breaking through his words. “Please, Simone, you have to call off the lawyers. You have to tell the feds it was a misunderstanding. They’re... they’re talking about indicting me. They’re saying I could face up to ten years for wire fraud and forgery.”
I took a slow sip of my tea. “Ten years? Well, corporate compliance is a steep learning curve, Preston. I’m sure they have libraries in federal prison where you can catch up on your reading.”
“Simone, please!” he begged, his voice rising in desperation. “My mother has had to close her social accounts; people are throwing trash on the lawn at Hawthorne Lane; Bri... Bri packed her bags and left me this morning when the bank seized her family’s trust accounts! I have nothing left. You destroyed my life!”
“No, Preston,” I said softly, the anger in my chest finally giving way to a profound, liberating peace. “You destroyed your own life the moment you handed someone else the microphone and decided loyalty was something you could trade away. I just balanced the ledger.”
Before he could answer, I tapped the red button and ended the call.
I didn't block his number. I didn't need to. He was already a ghost of a life I used to inhabit.
I walked over to the window of my kitchen, looking out at the morning sun breaking through the clouds. My phone buzzed one last time.
*Julian: Federal receivership approved for Wade Development assets. Your name is officially restored on the Hawthorne Lane deed, free and clear of all liens. Plus... your share of the corporate whistle blower settlement is clearing next week.*
I smiled, setting the phone down on the counter.
May you like
The engagement party had been a disaster, yes. But looking back, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It had stripped away the illusions, shattered the lies, and left me standing in the wreckage with a blank slate and a brand-new future.
***
