Caroline and Joe fell silent, their stomachs turning as they glanced at the tablet containing the evidence. There was no denying everything they had just heard. Desmond was a criminal.
Caroline glared at him. Does he think I'm just a pawn in his game? she wondered. How could he keep me in the dark about all of this? She couldn't bring herself to speak to him.
Desmond looked worried, but he continued to protest to the police. "How do you know this punk here didn't pay some random woman to lie? He just wants to bring me down."
"As I said, you have the right to remain silent," the officer with the handcuffs said. "For now, we need you to come down to the station and answer some questions."
"Before he goes, you should know one more thing," Alex said, turning to Caroline. "Mr. Lang had nothing to do with Joe's contract with the Raptors."
Joe looked shocked. He had felt indebted to Desmond over the contract.
"If you don't want it anymore, I can send it back to them," Alex said.
"What?" Joe said. "The contract really came from you?"
"That's impossible," Caroline said. "Desmond, tell everyone it was you."
Joe looked at Desmond for confirmation, but before he could get an answer, his phone rang.
"It's the Raptors," he said, snatching it up and quickly inserting his earbuds.
"Mr. Hall, I'm Hugh Allen, head coach of the Raptors," a middle-aged man said on the other end of the line. "I'm calling to let you know that we're terminating your contract, effective immediately."
Joe's hands began to shake. "What? You want to break the contract already? Don't I get a chance to prove myself?"
Hugh didn't reply.
"You're making a big mistake," Joe said. "I'm sure we can work something out."
Hugh hung up, and Joe could barely stand. He felt the room spinning. Through the blur, he heard his mother's voice.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"The Raptors just dropped me before I even got the chance to start," he replied, his face turning white. "How could this happen?"
Caroline frowned at the news but recovered quickly and smiled.
"Don't worry," she said. "Desmond has connections with the team. He'll fix it."
Caroline put her arms around Joe and turned to Desmond. "You should call the Raptors and see what's going on. There must be some mistake." But Desmond avoided her eye contact and looked away in shame.
Joe had regained his composure. He turned to Alex and asked, "So, did you really arrange the contract?"
Before Joe could get an answer, Desmond glared at Alex and exploded into a rage.
"You may be chairman of the Martial Arts Association and have impressive fighting skills, and you may have friends in high places all over Baltimore, but none of that means you can bully me. I have my people, too, and if you try to ruin my business, there'll be serious consequences."
He reached for his cell phone. "In fact, I'm going to call my associate now. Let's hear what she has to say about all this."
He quickly dialed a contact and turned the phone on speaker. A few seconds later, a woman answered. "Desmond, what's the matter?"
Desmond replied, "Miss Stanley, my shop has been shut down, and I'm being arrested. Some people here have it in for me."
"What jerk," Alex muttered.
From the other end of the phone, Helen said, "Who is being so rude to you? Doesn't he know who you are? If he values his life, he'd better shut his mouth now"
Alex said, "Miss Stanley, does Desmond work for you? I want to know everything."
There was only silence on the other end of the phone. Desmond and Caroline were appalled to hear Alex address Helen so casually.
"Miss Stanley, do you have anything to say?" Alex asked. "Or are you playing dead now?"
Desmond scowled at Alex. "Don't talk to Miss Stanley like that," he said.
At last, Helen managed to speak. "From now on, I have nothing to do with either Desmond or Serenity Gifts." With those words, she hung up.
Desmond couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had been abandoned by a master of the industry that he respected so much, and somehow Alex had been able to exert power over her.
"Please, get him out of here," Alex ordered.
The officers led Desmond out the door. After a few seconds, everyone was talking again, though mostly in whispers.
Alex raised his glass to Caroline and Joe, took a sip of wine, and turned away.
He knew that Helen was the most powerful and feared woman in the Baltimore Antiques and Art Dealers Association, yet as soon as he had spoken, she had recognized his voice and changed her tone. She knew many secrets, and she was well aware of who Alex was and the extent of his power.
Alex didn't care to explain anything to the Halls. He had had enough of them and needed to greet his guests.
He walked around the room, table to table, toasting everyone present. The reception wasn't Alex's type of thing, but he knew he had to be polite.
For months, Jessop had recommended Alex for the role of president of the Martial Arts Association. Gradually, more and more families had gotten on board. Finally, he had been offered the job.
Although he had been reluctant at first, it had been impossible to turn the offer down when everyone had been so supportive. That night, he wanted to ensure that they all had a good time.
Caroline and Joe sat quietly in a corner. They were unable to mingle among the guests but were also too shocked to leave.
"We should never have invited Alex to brunch," Caroline said. "If I'd allowed you to stay friends, none of this would have happened."
Suddenly, there was a thud at the main door.
"Who's looking to start trouble now?" Rufus asked with a sigh.
Alex looked up to see three men and two women swaggering into the room.
"Get out of here," Rufus urged, but Alex didn't move.
A woman dressed in black and a man dressed in blue led the group toward Alex.
A few security guards attempted to block their path, but in a flash, the pair kicked them to the ground.
"Seize him," the woman roared, pointing at Alex.
A group of guests immediately stood up and surrounded the man and woman, but the duo rushed past them and marched straight over to Alex.