Chapter 12 - The Federal Shield
The silver federal badge gleamed sharply in the harsh white glare of the helicopter’s searchlight, bearing the crest of the Department of Justice’s elite corporate oversight division. Julian Vance stood frozen between the agent and the edge of the freezing river, his fists still clenched in defensive rage.
“You’re federal?” Julian demanded, his voice cutting through the thrum of the overhead rotors. “Then why the hell did you let Victor Sterling run loose in the city? Why did my uncle have to die in that bunker?”
The man in the black suit lowered his badge, slipping it back into his tactical vest. Despite the heavy bandage staining his shoulder crimson beneath the fabric, his posture remained steady and calm.
“Because building a federal case against Victor Sterling requires an airtight trail of corruption that spans three decades, Mr. Vance,” the agent replied steadily. “If we had moved in an hour earlier, Sterling’s legal team would have tied us up in court for years, and your family’s assets would have been permanently stripped. Marcus understood that sacrifice was the only way to trigger the automatic asset freeze.”
Julian shook his head, the overwhelming weight of the day’s losses crashing down upon his shoulders with crushing force. He looked back at Evelyn, who remained quietly tucked behind his leg, her dark eyes watching the federal agent with unwavering composure.
“And the girl?” Julian asked, his voice dropping to a fierce, protective whisper. “What happens to her now? Do I need to fight you too to keep her safe?”
The agent offered a faint, respectful nod toward Evelyn. “She isn’t going into protective custody, Mr. Vance. The master biometric transfer she completed ten minutes ago legally restored her as the sole trustee of the Vance-Sterling estate. As her legal guardian of record, you now hold primary jurisdiction over her safety.”
Before Julian could process the staggering legal reality of what had just been handed to him, the radio clipped to the agent’s vest crackled to life with frantic static.
“Agent Vance—sir, we have a major development at the downtown Sterling Tower. Victor Sterling just breached the executive boardroom. He’s attempting to scrub the physical servers manually. He’s got a detonator.”
The agent’s eyes narrowed into hard slits. He looked up at Julian with absolute urgency.
“Victor knows he’s lost everything. If he detonates those sub-level servers, he takes down half the city’s power grid along with every piece of evidence we need to put him away for the rest of his life,” the agent said grimly, tapping his headset. “We need to get to the boardroom right now. And we need the girl’s pendant to bypass the final physical dead-bolt.”
Julian looked down at Evelyn. She opened her small palm, revealing the silver crescent moon pendant, and looked up at her uncle with a quiet, knowing look that defied her young age.
“We have to finish it, Uncle Julian,” Evelyn said softly.
May you like
Julian swallowed hard, picked her up into his arms once more, and nodded resolutely to the federal agent. “Let’s go end this.”
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