Chapter 5 - The Federal Net Closes In
Julian’s face drained of color, the arrogant smirk vanishing completely as the voice echoed off the high dining room ceilings. He lunged forward, trying to slap the phone from Marcus’s hand, but Marcus stepped effortlessly to the side, letting his brother stumble against the lavishly set dining table. Crystal glasses tipped over, spilling dark red wine and thick orange juice across the pristine white tablecloth like spreading blood.
"Wait, Marcus—hang up!" Julian hissed, his voice pitching upward into panic. "You can't involve federal marshals in a family probate dispute! It’ll destroy both our reputations!"
"My reputation burned down the second my daughter’s ankle was wrapped in dirty gauze while you sat here eating imported cheese," Marcus replied into the phone. "Execute the warrants, Miller. Take them both."
Elena let out a piercing shriek of absolute despair. She dropped to her knees on the hardwood floor, her glamorous gold evening gown snagging on a broken crystal stem. She clawed at the hem of Marcus’s trousers, her manicured nails digging through the wool fabric.
"Marcus, you can't do this to me! I'm their mother!" she wailed, tears streaming down her contoured face, ruining her makeup in grotesque streaks.
"You lost the right to that title the moment you treated them like street trash," Marcus said coldly, looking down at her as if she were a piece of litter blown in by the wind.
Heavy, synchronized boots echoed outside the heavy oak front doors. Before Julian could reach the foyer, the wood splintered inward with a loud crash. Three armed federal agents in tactical gear flooded the entryway, their weapons lowered but their stances unyielding.
"Marcus Vance?" the lead agent asked, scanning the chaotic scene of spilled juice, shattered crystal, and weeping women.
"Right here," Marcus said, nodding toward Julian and Elena. "These two individuals are the principals in an ongoing multi-million-dollar wire fraud operation, and they are currently being detained for reckless child endangerment and exploitation."
Julian threw his hands up in surrender as two agents pinned his arms behind his back, clicking heavy steel cuffs around his wrists. "You’re making a massive mistake, Marcus! The offshore accounts are tied to your own social security number! If I go down for the embezzlement, you go down for tax evasion!"
Marcus didn't even blink. He walked over to his three biological children, kneeling down and opening his arms. Maya and the twins ran into his embrace, burying their faces in his navy jacket. He held them tightly, shielding their eyes from the spectacle of their stepmother being hauled away in cuffs.
Elena was sobbing hysterically as an agent pulled her up from the floor, her golden dress dragging through the spilled orange juice. As they dragged her past the dining table, she locked eyes with Leo, who was still sitting frozen in his chair.
"Leo, get the black ledger from under the floorboards in the study," Elena screamed desperately over her own cries.
May you like
Marcus froze, his eyes snapping toward the boy.
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