Chapter 4 - The Trap is Set
Julian recovered quickly, his panic hardening into a deadly sneer. "You think anyone will believe a disgruntled mother-in-law over the Director of the Year? I can delete those records before the sun rises, Eleanor. You have nothing."
"Go ahead and try," I smiled softly. "I didn't download the files from your server, Julian. My friends at the Federal Medical Regulatory Board intercepted them directly from your offshore bank’s compliance feed. The trap is already sprung. If I were you, I’d worry less about your wife and more about federal prison."
He stepped back, his fists clenching. He realized he couldn't intimidate me. Without another word, he turned, got into his SUV, and sped away into the night.
I knew he was going straight to the hospital to destroy evidence and prepare his escape. He was a cornered animal now, which made him incredibly dangerous. He would try to force the delivery to hold the baby hostage, or worse, use his remaining influence to flee the country with his assets.
The next morning, the drama escalated.
At 8:00 AM, two police officers arrived at my door with an emergency court order. Julian had used a corrupt judge on his hospital's board to issue an immediate custody and medical intervention order, claiming Chloe was mentally unstable and endangering the unborn child by refusing necessary medical care.
Chloe stood at the top of the stairs, clutching her stomach, crying. "Mom... I told you! He owns everyone!"
"Step aside, ma'am," the officer said, looking uncomfortable but bound by the paperwork. "We have to escort Mrs. Thorne back to St. Jude’s Hospital."
"Officers, look at this paperwork carefully," I said, handing them a document I had printed just an hour ago. It was a federal stay of execution on all local orders regarding Chloe Thorne, signed by a federal magistrate, citing an ongoing criminal investigation into the plaintiff, Julian Thorne.
The officers looked at each other, stunned. "This... this overrides our order. We can't take her."
"In fact," I said, leaning in, "if I were you, I'd head over to St. Jude's Clinic right now. The FBI is about to raid the administrative building."
Just then, my phone rang. It was Marcus.
"Eleanor, we have a problem," Marcus said, his voice urgent. "Julian anticipated the raid. He’s not at the administration building. He just checked himself into the emergency surgical wing. He has ordered an emergency, forced C-section on a surrogate patient, claiming it’s a medical emergency—but our sources say he’s using it as a distraction to empty the hospital’s physical secure safe, which holds $10 million in emergency cash reserves and bearer bonds!"
"He's going to run," I said, my blood turning to ice. "And he's going to use an innocent patient on the operating table as a human shield so the police can't storm the room."
"We can't breach a live operating theater, Eleanor! It risks the patient's life!" Marcus groaned.
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I looked at Chloe, who was watching me with wide, terrified eyes. I looked at my keys.
"He thinks he’s safe behind a sterile curtain," I said coldly. "He forgot that I know the hospital layout better than he does. I'm coming down there."
