Chapter 2 - The Fall of Arrogance
The officers took one look at Emma’s bleeding forehead and the angry crowd surrounding Julian.
“Who is in charge here?” the taller officer asked, resting his hand on his duty belt.
I didn't hesitate for a single second.
“I am,” I said, stepping forward and pointing directly at Julian.
“That man just violently attacked my seven-year-old daughter with a heavy wooden sign.”
Julian tried to laugh it off, a desperate, nervous sound that made my blood boil.
“Officers, please, this is a private event, and this woman is hysterical,” Julian lied, attempting to use his wealth as a shield.
The venue manager silently turned the laptop screen toward the police officers and pressed play.
The officers watched in absolute silence as Julian planted the jewelry and then violently struck Emma.
There was no room for debate, no gray area for his expensive lawyers to exploit.
The taller officer pulled out his handcuffs, the metallic clicking sound cutting through the silence of the room.
“Julian Vance, turn around and put your hands behind your back,” the officer ordered.
Julian’s eyes widened in horror, looking desperately at Beatrice for salvation.
“Beatrice, do something, call my father!” Julian pleaded as the cold steel snapped around his wrists.
But Beatrice just looked away, already calculating how to distance herself from a public relations disaster.
The officers marched Julian out of the ballroom, his expensive tuxedo now a symbol of his utter disgrace.
Paramedics arrived moments later, rushing through the crowd to check on Emma.
They gently bandaged her head, assuring me that the cut wasn't deep enough for stitches, but she needed to go to the hospital for a concussion protocol.
As I carried Emma out to the ambulance, a dozen guests had their phones out.
They were already typing furiously, uploading their own videos of the arrest to social media.
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Julian thought he was untouchable because of his money.
He was about to find out what happens when the internet decides to hold a monster accountable.
