Chapter 10: The Fall of the Empire
Chapter 10: The Fall of the Empire
The heavy oak front doors were pushed open as a squad of police officers, led by a stern-faced detective, marched into the kitchen. Julian had called them the moment he touched down at the airport, having suspected financial anomalies in his mother's accounts—but he had never expected to find a crime scene of this magnitude.
Julian handed the digital recorder directly to the detective.
"Detective, I want to report a case of kidnapping, severe physical assault, and extortion," Julian said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. "The suspect is standing right there."
The detective listened to a brief snippet of the recording and looked at the burns on Elena's neck. He turned to his officers.
"Arrest her."
Victoria screamed in outrage as the metallic handcuffs clicked around her manicured wrists, ruining the perfect aesthetic of her ivory suit.
"Julian! You can't do this to me! I am your mother! I built this empire for you!" she shrieked as she was dragged down the marble hallway.
Julian didn't look back. He lifted Elena carefully into his arms, walking past the broken breakfast and the spilled soup on the floor—the very items his mother had used as weapons of humiliation.
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Behind them, Victoria was left alone in the back of a police cruiser, stripped of the power she believed could protect her from her own cruelty. Her lies lay shattered on the kitchen floor.
Julian carried Elena out into the bright, morning sun, stepping into a limousine that would take them directly to the hospital. The Sterling fortune was vast, but as Julian held Elena tight against his heart, he knew his true wealth was right here in his arms—alive, safe, and finally free.
