The officers carefully escorted Eleanor down the grand stairs to the front entryway.
She walked past the bikhre hue pearls with her head bowed low in total defeat.
Her expensive clothes could not hide the shame of what she had done.
Eleanor: You will regret this day, Clara. Mark my words!
Clara: I only regret trusting you anywhere near my family's legacy.
Officer Davis placed Eleanor in the back seat of the patrol car outside.
The heavy car door slammed shut with a sharp and final metallic sound.
The police cars drove slowly away down the long tree-lined front driveway.
Silence returned to the enormous two-story grand entry hall of the mansion.
Mark walked over to Clara and placed his arm comfortably around her shoulder.
Mark: It is finally over now, Clara. You are safe.
Clara: I can hardly believe she actually tried to destroy the drive.
Mark: Greed makes people do desperate and dangerous things when they panic.
Clara looked down at the smooth white marble floor near the front entry.
Dozens of white pearls were still scattered across the tiles under the chandelier light.
She knelt down slowly on the floor to begin picking up the loose beads.
Mark immediately dropped to his knees beside her to help gather them up.
Mark: We will collect every single one of them and fix this necklace.
Clara: My mother gave this string of pearls to me on my eighteenth birthday.
Mark: We will have a jeweler string them back together on a new silk thread tomorrow.
Clara picked up a round white bead and held it against the bright sunlight.
She felt a deep sense of relief wash over her heart after years of fear.
Clara: My father's true wishes will finally be carried out for the estate trust.
Mark: The company and this house are officially under your full control now.
They spent the next hour carefully searching every corner of the large room.
They gathered every pearl that had bounced under the furniture during the fall.
The American flag hung still and proud on the bright white wall behind them.
Clara placed the complete collection of pearls into a small velvet jewelry box.
Clara: Thank you for catching me when I fell from the top step, Mark.
Mark: I will always be here to protect you, no matter what happens.