Page 83 of The Last Morgan

Rufus's face turned an interesting shade of purple.

"You set me up." he hissed.

Lucy smiled.

"No, Rufus. You set yourself up. I just gave you the microphone."

She nodded once.

The police officers stepped forward.

"Rufus Hale, you are under arrest for multiple counts of sexual assault and harassment. You have the right to remain silent—"

"You can’t do this!" Rufus bellowed, struggling against the officers' grip.

"I already have." Lucy said simply.

They hauled him to his feet.

"You think you’ve won?" Rufus shouted over his shoulder. "You’ll ruin this company! You’ll ruin everything!"

"No," Lucy said quietly. "I'm saving it."

The door slammed shut behind them.

Davina, standing just outside the glass wall of the office, wiped a tear from her cheek.

She had watched the entire thing.

Lucy let out a slow, controlled breath.

Thirty minutes later, the women — Davina, Emily, Jenna, Sofia, Karen, and Aria — gathered in Lucy’s office.

They entered hesitantly, their bodies tense, ready for another disappointment.

Lucy rose to meet them.

"First," she said, her voice thick with emotion, "I want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry it took this long. I'm sorry you were made to feel powerless, and I'm sorry no one listened until now."

The women shifted, emotions warring on their faces.

"Today," Lucy continued, "Rufus Hale was arrested and he will face charges.

Lucy gestured to the folders Davina placed on the table.

"Inside, you'll find a compensation offer: one million dollars each, with no gag order attached. You can tell your stories. You can shout them from the rooftops if you want. This is not to buy your silence. This is to acknowledge your pain."

Karen stepped forward, voice shaking.

"We fought for years. And you took him down in one day."

Lucy smiled, sad and proud all at once.

"You shouldn't have had to fight at all. Never again."

The women looked at each other.

One by one, they signed.