“The police would like your statement,” she said. “It is your choice. But he did this in front of five hundred people. They cannot ignore it.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll talk to them.”
Two detectives came in. They were polite. They were serious. I told them the truth. I told them about the gala, the speech, the pen, the demand. I told them I said no. I told them he grabbed me. I told them I said, “I owe you nothing.” I told them he slapped me. I told them I fell. They took notes. They were very thorough.
When they left, I was alone again. A few minutes later, Mr. Harrison walked in. His face was grim.
“Charlotte—my God,” he said.
“They arrested him,” I said. It wasn’t a question.
“Yes. At the gala, for assault. It’s already on the news wires. He’s at the police station.”
I felt a strange, cold relief.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“Now we get you out of here,” he said. “You cannot go back to that house. It is not safe.”
Mr. Harrison arranged everything. He got me discharged. He took me to a private, secure hotel. He hired a security guard to sit outside my door. For the first time in my life, I was safe from my family.
I turned on the TV. It was on every channel—my father’s mugshot: RICHARD HAIL, CEO OF HAIL INNOVATIONS, ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT. The story was everywhere. The perfect family was shattered. I thought I would feel guilty. I thought I would feel shame. My father’s one rule was Do not bring shame on this family, and I had. But I did not feel guilty. I felt nothing. I just felt tired.
For two days the world exploded. The media was in a frenzy. Hail Innovations stock plummeted. The board of directors called an emergency meeting. Then my father retaliated. A man came to my hotel room door. He served me with legal papers. Mr. Harrison was with me. He took the papers. He read them. His face grew dark.
“What is it?” I asked.
“He’s done exactly what we thought he would,” Mr. Harrison said. “He has filed an emergency petition for conservatorship.”
