Chapter 8 - The Global Spotlight
"Listen to me!" Leo spoke directly into the phone, his hazel eyes wide and resolute as millions of viewers tuned in within seconds. "My uncle thinks we’re beaten. He thinks District Attorney Arthur Sterling is untouchable. But my mom is innocent, and my dad didn't die in a car crash—he was framed by the exact same man ten years ago!"
Outside the house, a sudden flash of light illuminated the bedroom window. Muffled shouts echoed from the front yard.
Marcus's voice faded from the door as he ran downstairs to check the front porch. "Leo! They're outside!" Marcus yelled from below. "Police cruisers just pulled up on the lawn!"
Leo kept recording, his hand trembling only slightly. "Arthur Sterling is using his power as a district attorney to lock up my mother because she knows the truth about his corruption! If anything happens to me, or to my uncle, you know who did it!"
Before Leo could hit stop, the bedroom door splintered with a deafening crash as the chair wedged beneath it gave way. Officer Miller and two tactical officers burst into the room, their heavy boots thudding against the floorboards.
"Drop the device!" Miller barked, lunging forward and slapping the phone out of Leo’s hand. The screen clattered against the wall, the live stream freezing on the boy's defiant face as thousands of comments scrolled past in real-time.
"You can't arrest me! I'm a minor!" Leo shouted, pulling away as an officer grabbed his arms and pulled his hands behind his back.
"You're not under arrest, kid. You're being taken into protective custody," Miller said grimly, his face tight with tension. "And your house is being searched under a federal warrant signed twenty minutes ago."
Marcus rushed into the room, shoving past the officers. "By whose authority? You can't search this house without probable cause!"
"By order of District Attorney Arthur Sterling's office," a cold, cultured voice echoed from the hallway.
Arthur Sterling himself stepped into the bedroom, wearing his immaculate charcoal suit, a calm, predatory smile playing on his lips. He looked down at Leo, his eyes cold as ice.
"Brave boy," Sterling said smoothly, stepping over the shattered phone on the floor. "Too bad bravery doesn't hold up against a federal judge's signature."
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Sterling leaned in close to Leo, whispering softly so only the boy could hear. "Your mother is being transferred to a maximum-security federal penitentiary tonight. And by morning, you won't have a guardian left to save her."
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