Chapter 4 - THE COLLAPSE OF THE BENNETTS
Forty-eight hours later.
The small, run-down lobby of Bennett Auto Repair in Colorado Springs smelled of grease, old coffee, and burning rubber.
Grant Bennett sat behind his battered wooden desk, his hands shaking as he stared at the neon-yellow foreclosure paper taped to the glass front door. Beside him, Diane was crying hysterically, her expensive designer handbag sitting on a grease-stained chair, while Brooke sat in the corner, furiously scrolling through her phone.
"She can't do this!" Diane sobbed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "Grant, tell me she can't take the garage! You've owned this business for twenty years!"
"She put eighty thousand dollars into the property deed two years ago when I was behind on taxes," Grant growled, his voice hoarse, his face looking ten years older than it had on New Year's Eve. "I signed a demand note... I thought she was family! I thought she would never enforce it!"
"Where is Ryan?!" Brooke demanded, slamming her phone onto her knee. "Why isn't Ryan fixing this?! He's her husband!"
"Ryan is suspended from his job!" Grant screamed, turning his fury onto his daughter. "His firm placed him on administrative leave without pay! His bank accounts are frozen! He's staying in a seventy-dollar-a-night motel near the airport!"
The glass door of the garage chimed as it swung open.
A process server in a plain brown jacket walked into the office, carrying three official yellow envelopes.
"Grant Bennett?" the process server asked.
Grant flinched, stepping back behind his desk. "Who's asking?"
The process server dropped the three envelopes onto the grease-stained counter. "You've been formally served with a Summons for Criminal Felony Assault from the Denver District Court. Arraignment is scheduled for Monday morning at 9:00 AM."
"What about my wife and daughter?!" Grant demanded, pointing a trembling finger at Diane and Brooke.
"Diane Bennett and Brooke Bennett have been subpoenaed as key material witnesses for the prosecution," the process server replied flatly. "If either of you fail to appear, a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest."
The process server turned and walked out, leaving the Bennett family standing in the cold, dusty air of the garage.
Diane fell back into her chair, letting out a horrific, gasping wail. "We're ruined! We're completely ruined! What are people at the country club going to say?!"
"Shut up, Diane!" Grant yelled, throwing a metal coffee mug against the wall, where it shattered into pieces. "Just shut up!"
Brooke looked down at her phone, her eyes widening as a new notification popped up on her screen.
"Oh my God..." Brooke whispered, her voice pale with terror.
"What now?!" Grant barked.
"It's... it's Claire's company," Brooke stammered, holding out her phone screen. "She posted an official press release on her company's executive page."
The press release was sleek, professional, and brutal in its simplicity:
STATEMENT FROM DR. CLAIRE BENNETT, VP OF MARKETING
In light of recent criminal events involving family members of my former spouse, I have formally initiated legal proceedings including divorce and felony charges for aggravated domestic assault.
I want to thank the Denver Police Department, Building Security, and my medical team for their swift action in protecting my safety and the health of my unborn daughter.
Moving forward, I will be stepping into full control of my personal estate, including the total liquidation of all non-core assets previously extended as family loans.
Beneath the statement was a high-resolution photograph of Claire—looking radiant, composed, and powerful, sitting at her executive desk in a sleek navy suit, her hand resting gracefully over her pregnant belly.
"She... she put it on the internet..." Brooke whimpered. "All my friends are sharing it! Everyone knows!"
Grant collapsed into his office chair, staring at the ceiling as the reality of his total destruction finally crushed him.
May you like
He had thought he was the master of his family. He had thought that shouting louder, flexing his physical strength, and demanding obedience would make him a king.
Instead, he had burned down his son's marriage, destroyed his business, exposed his family's pathetic hypocrisy to the world, and booked himself a one-way ticket to a state prison cell.
