Chapter 7 - The Final Sabotage Attempt
Two weeks before the official grand opening of my studio’s second location, jealousy reared its ugly head one last time.
It was 11:00 P.M. on a Tuesday night. I was at home tucking the kids into bed when my phone buzzed with an alert from my studio’s security system app.
MOTION DETECTED: BACK ENTRANCE.
I opened the live camera feed on my phone screen.
The security camera showed the dark alleyway behind my design studio. A figure dressed in a dark hoodie and sweatpants was crouching near the rear glass door, holding a heavy crowbar in one hand and a spray paint can in the other.
The figure turned slightly toward the infrared camera, and under the pale glow of the streetlamp, I recognized the face immediately.
It was Chloe.
Her eyes were wild, hollowed out by months of public shame, financial ruin, and total isolation. Unable to handle seeing my business success splashed across local magazines, she had come to vandalize my studio and destroy my inventory.
I didn't panic. I didn't scream.
I calmly tapped the direct emergency button built into the security app, which routed the live video feed straight to the local police precinct, located just three blocks from my studio.
"Dispatch, this is Jessi Sterling," I said into the phone, watching the screen as Chloe shattered the lower glass panel of the back door with her crowbar. "There is an active burglary and vandalism in progress at 412 Main Street. The suspect is Chloe Vance."
"Officers are en route, Ms. Sterling," the dispatcher replied instantly. "Eta is two minutes."
I kept watching the live feed. Chloe stepped through the broken glass into the studio's storage room, where tens of thousands of dollars of custom silk curtains, imported table linens, and hand-crafted furniture were stored for an upcoming high-profile gala.
She shook the spray paint can and began spraying black paint onto a velvet sofa.
Suddenly, bright blue and red police lights flooded the alleyway behind her. The screech of tires echoed through the phone's speaker.
"Police! Don't move! Put your hands on your head!" two uniformed officers shouted, bursting through the shattered rear entrance with their flashlights drawn.
Chloe dropped the spray paint can, letting out a terrified shriek as she tried to scramble back through the broken door. But an officer grabbed her arm, pulled her out into the alley, and forced her down onto the hood of the police cruiser.
"Let me go!" Chloe screamed, sobbing hysterically as the handcuffs clicked tightly around her wrists. "It's my sister's shop! She stole my life! She ruined everything!"
"You have the right to remain silent," the officer responded coldly, pushing her into the back of the police car.
May you like
The next morning, Chloe was charged with felony burglary, criminal mischief, and violation of an active restraining order. Because she was already on probation for the financial fraud case, the judge revoked her bail entirely.
She was remanded to county jail to await trial, where she would finally be forced to face the full weight of her destructive envy behind iron bars.
