"Ma'am, please!"
Despite the secretary's attempts to stop Brooklyn, the person in question had successfully barged into the office.
Penelope looked up from her desktop computer to see what the commotion was all about. She gestured for her secretary, who looked apologetic, to leave them alone.
Penelope removed her reading glasses, giving her her full attention.
Brooklyn huffed, making her way to Penelope. "Did you seriously have to go this far?"
"You seem to have grown wings. It was high time they got clipped."
"Mom!"
"Don't look at me like that. This is all on you. You chose to run your own art gallery. Don't you think it's high time you prove that you can get through any challenge thrown at you with ease?"
Brooklyn scoffed. "and I'm supposed to thank you for being the one to teach me such a valuable lesson?"
Penelope shrugged while smirking at her daughter who was not enjoying any of it.
Brooklyn felt even more wronged. She quickly turned around, making her way out of her mother's office.
Creak
Jay opened the office door. From the tense atmosphere, he could already guess exactly what had transpired between those two.
Brooklyn didn't have anything to say to her older brother. She rolled her eyes in boredom and brushed past Jay who was still standing by the doorway.
××××××
In her car, while driving
"Hello?" Felix's voice reverbated on the phone call.
Brooklyn remained silent.
Felix sighed from the other end of the line. "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."
"Why?"
"Hmm?"
"I heard you gave my mother an earful for instigating against me. Why?"
"So you heard." Brooklyn could hear shuffling from his end. "You're my wife Brooklyn."
"What?"
"I'll never let anyone hurt you. No one's an exception to that. Not even me."
Brooklyn scrowled as she removed the phone from her ear to really confirm that she was speaking with the Felix Easton and not somebody else.
What's he on about? Is he drunk or high on drugs?
Brooklyn made a disgusted face as she stared at her phone screen. She pressed the red button, ending the call abruptly. She had arrived at her destination.
Brooklyn stepped down from her car and entered her art gallery building. She was confused to see police detectives rainsacking the place. Despite the staff's attempts to stop them, the detectives were packing all the art pieces and loading them into their vans.
"Ms. Brooklyn Cooper?" Brooklyn turned around to see one of the detectives showing her the search warrant and his police ID. "We have the search warrant to collect all the paintings here that are suspected to be imitations of famous artworks. You must know very well that going around selling and holding art exhibitions of such paintings is illegal."
"Sir. We've completed loading all the paintings in the vans. We're ready to depart."
Detective Jones nodded his head at his subordinate. He turned to face Brooklyn once more. "You'll also have to come with us for questioning."
"What? No!" Jade stood in front of Brooklyn, shielding her.
"Are you scared that we'll find out that you're actually guilty of the said crime?" Jade was about to argue, but the detective cut her off. "If not, then why are you stopping me from doing my job?"
Jade remained silent.
"After you." Detective Jones gestured for Brooklyn to walk in front of him.