Chapter 8 - The Second SealJulian’s laughter abruptly choked in his throat. He looked up at Elena, his eyes narrowing in sudden, panic-stricken confusion. "There... there is no second page."
"That's what you thought when you ransacked Lord Arthur's study twenty-five years ago," Elena replied coldly. She carefully unfolded the bottom flap of the parchment, revealing a hidden, double-layered fold that had been glued shut with age and secrecy.
With a steady hand, she peeled back the secondary layer. Inside, written in Lord Arthur’s sharp, unmistakable handwriting, was a final codicil witnessed and signed by the chief federal prosecutor of the state and three independent judges.
“If my brother Julian attempts to alter this lineage, or if any public media campaign is ever launched to slander the true heirs using forged corporate assets, this document shall automatically trigger an immediate federal asset seizure and issue an unappealable arrest warrant for corporate treason.”
Elena held the document directly up to the lens of the live-stream drone hovering overhead—a drone that Vivian's media team had foolishly left broadcasting the scene to millions of viewers.
"Look closely, America," Elena spoke clearly into the camera lens. "This is the real Julian Vance. Not a savior. A murderer, a forger, and a thief. And his time is up."
From the end of the pier, the thunderous roar of a dozen heavy police cruisers and federal black-and-whites echoed through the night air, their sirens wailing in a deafening chorus of blue and red light. Federal marshals poured out of the vehicles, weapons drawn, surrounding the entire perimeter.
This time, they weren't looking for Elena or Ethan.
The lead federal agent marched straight past them, stopping directly in front of Julian Vance, who was still pinned beneath Ethan's boot. The agent snapped a pair of cold steel handcuffs onto Julian’s wrists.
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"Julian Vance, you are under arrest for federal grand larceny, corporate fraud, and the homicide of Lord Arthur Vance," the agent announced, his voice booming across the pier.
Vivian shrieked, stumbling backward as two officers grabbed her arms as well, slapping cuffs onto her wrists as her carefully constructed world shattered into a million pieces.
