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The ballroom was alive with champagne, laughter, and high-society whispers until the dull, rhythmic thumping began inside the east wall. / Chapter 17 / 19

Chapter 18 - THE FEDS ARRIVE"What are you talking about?" Julian snapped, his voice suddenly laced with genuine panic.

"Check your perimeter, Julian," Arthur commanded coldly.

On the live monitor feed in the study—visible from the hallway screen—the warehouse doors suddenly blew inward with a deafening crash. Flashbang grenades illuminated the industrial space in blinding white light.

Dozens of heavily armed federal tactical agents swarmed the building in a matter of seconds, shouting orders and pinning Julian’s armed guards to the concrete floor before they could even raise their weapons.

"No! No, this is a mistake! Get your hands off me!" Julian shrieked on the live feed as two tactical officers slammed him face-first onto the floor, slapping heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists once again.

Evelyn Vance tried to bolt toward the back exit, but a federal agent cut her off, blocking her path and reading her Miranda rights as her designer handbag hit the floor.

Marcus Vance, coughing from the smoke and dust of the flashbangs, was quickly untied by a medic and helped to his feet.

Arthur watched the entire scene unfold on the handheld satellite phone screen. He took a slow, deep breath, letting the tension leave his shoulders for the first time in weeks.

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"It's over, Julian," Arthur said quietly into the phone. "You're going back to a real cage this time. And your foundation is going to pay every single cent back to the last penny."

Julian let out a guttural scream of absolute rage and defeat before a federal officer muted the mic and cut the feed entirely.

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