flash
The air in the NICU grew suffocatingly quiet. The low, rhythmic beep of the incubators carrying Liam and Chloe was the only sound breaking the sudden, heavy silence. / Chapter 3 / 8

Chapter 3 - THE AIRPORT EMBARRASSMENT

The rain beat violently against the tarmac at Teterboro Airport. Inside the private terminal lounge, Dominic was pacing back and forth, downing his third glass of scotch.

"Why aren't we boarding yet?!" Dominic screamed at the terminal manager. "I paid for this charter in full! Get the pilot on the plane now!"

Natalie sat on a leather sofa nearby, fanning herself with a high-end fashion magazine, dripping in emerald necklaces and wearing my late mother’s vintage Cartier watch. "Relax, babe. Audrey is probably crying her eyes out in that depressing hospital. She’s powerless. You won. We won."

"I won't feel safe until we land in Mexico," Dominic muttered, wiping sweat from his neck. "Her grandfather... Arthur Sterling... that old bastard has too much reach. I need to get our money out of those accounts before his lawyers lock everything down."

"Mr. Vance?" a firm voice called out.

Dominic whipped around. Two airport security officers, accompanied by three suits carrying federal badges, walked into the lounge. Behind them, stepping out of the shadows, was Julian Vance, holding a sleek silver briefcase.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Dominic demanded, stepping forward aggressively. "I am a private client! You can't disturb me!"

"Dominic Vance," the lead Federal Agent said, producing an arrest warrant. "You are under arrest for corporate embezzlement, wire fraud, bank fraud, and the unlawful transport of stolen assets across state lines."

Natalie shrieked, dropping her glass of champagne, spilling it all over her dress. "What?! No! This is a mistake! He’s a multi-millionaire CEO!"

"He was a CEO," Julian corrected smoothly, stepping forward and opening his briefcase. "As of ninety minutes ago, Apex Medical Solutions declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Furthermore, the private jet you are attempting to board does not belong to you, Mr. Vance. It was leased using funds fraudulently drawn from the Sterling Family Trust."

"You can't do this!" Dominic roared, struggling as two officers grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back and snapping cold metal handcuffs around his wrists. "Audrey signed the papers! She signed them! The money is mine!"

"She signed the papers, yes," Julian said, pulling out a laminated document. "But you clearly failed to read Page 14, Paragraph 3. Allow me to read it to you: 'All assets acquired through the conversion of trust funds shall immediately revert to the primary beneficiary, Audrey Sterling, upon proof of spousal infidelity or financial malfeasance.'"

Julian looked at Natalie. "Which brings me to you, Miss Davis."

Natalie backed away, clutching her chest. "Me? I didn't do anything! I’m just his girlfriend!"

"You are currently wearing a 1972 Cartier diamond watch, an emerald necklace, and carrying a crocodile Birkin bag—all stolen from Ms. Sterling’s private vault three days ago," Julian said. "Furthermore, the prenatal medical care you received at Saint Aurelia was billed fraudulently under Ms. Sterling’s private insurance."

Two female officers stepped forward. "Ma'am, hand over the jewelry and step forward."

"No! Get away from me!" Natalie screamed, flailing her arms. "Dominic, do something! Tell them!"

"Shut up, Natalie!" Dominic bellowed, his face turning purple with rage and fear. "You’re the one who wanted the damn coat! You’re the one who told me to sign the papers today! This is all your fault!"

"My fault?!" Natalie shrieked, tears ruining her heavy makeup. "You told me she was a penniless nobody! You lied to me!"

As the officers stripped the stolen jewelry from Natalie’s neck and wrists right there in the middle of the terminal, a group of paparazzi and local news reporters suddenly rushed into the lounge, cameras flashing relentlessly.

Julian had personally leaked the tip to every major news outlet in the city.

'FALL OF APEX MEDICAL: CEO ARRESTED AT PRIVATE AIRPORT ATTEMPTING TO FLEE WITH MISTRESS AND STOLEN MILLIONS.'

Dominic tried to hide his face against his shoulder, but the flashing lights caught every angle of his humiliation. As he was shoved toward the police cruiser outside in the pouring rain, Julian walked up to the window of the car.

"Oh, and Dominic?" Julian whispered through the cracked window. "Audrey wanted me to give you a message."

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