Chapter 9 - Sirens in the Driveway
The flashing red and blue lights cut through the heavy drapery of the dining room windows, casting eerie, shifting patterns across the ruins of the wedding-style cake and the scattered legal papers. The wail of the police cruiser stopped abruptly right outside the front entrance, followed by the heavy thud of car doors slamming shut on the gravel driveway.
Julian spun toward the window, pulling the velvet curtain back an inch.
“Who called the police?” Julian demanded, his voice rising in panic as he looked back at the room. He pointed an accusing finger at Victor. “Did you tip off the authorities hoping to orchestrate a raid?”
Victor was still leaning against the sideboard, wiping a speck of dust off his charcoal lapel with a shaky hand, though his smug expression had vanished completely.
“I didn't call the cops,” Victor snapped, his voice tight with genuine confusion. “Why would I invite law enforcement into a financial mess I was trying to exploit quietly?”
Clara pulled herself up from the floor, leaning against the spare chair that held the baby carrier. Little Leo began to stir again, letting out a sharp, distressed cry in response to the flashing lights and rising voices. Clara frantically rocked the carrier, her eyes darting between Elena, Julian, and the dark hallway leading to the front door.
“Elena?” Clara asked, her voice trembling violently. “Did you call them?”
Elena remained seated at the head of the table, her composure entirely unshaken. She didn’t look at the window, nor did she look at the panicked faces of her family. She simply reached out, picked up her champagne glass, and took another unhurried sip.
“A smart host always ensures security is notified when uninvited trespassers attempt to dismantle her home,” Elena replied smoothly, setting the glass down with a crisp click. “And Victor’s shell companies crossed several lines of corporate wire fraud before dinner was even served.”
Victor lunged forward, his face turning crimson with rage.
“You set me up for a federal investigation? You tricked me into buying a paid-off debt just to hand my financial records to the feds?” Victor roared, taking a threatening step toward the head of the table.
Before Victor could take another step, heavy footsteps thudded across the hardwood floor of the foyer, and two uniformed police officers flanked by a federal agent in a dark suit strode into the dining room without knocking.
“Victor Sterling?” the federal agent asked, flashing a gold badge that caught the chandelier light. “Step away from the table. You’re under arrest for corporate wire fraud, extortion, and securities manipulation.”
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Victor froze, his arms outstretched, as the officers closed in on him from both sides. But as the handcuffs clicked into place around Victor’s wrists, the federal agent turned his gaze toward Julian and Clara, holding out a second set of warrants.
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