Chapter 4 - Blue Lights and Black Ties
Four black SUVs and three marked police cruisers slammed to a halt on the manicured grass, tearing up the immaculate turf. Men and women in tactical vests poured out, the letters FBI stark white across their chests.
"Nobody move! Secure the exits!" a lead agent roared through a megaphone.
The wedding guests froze. Julian froze. Victoria collapsed onto a white floral arrangement, crushing hundreds of imported orchids beneath her weight.
I looked down at the dark, foul-smelling stain on my wedding dress. Suddenly, it didn't feel like a mark of shame. It felt like a badge of honor.
Two agents marched straight up the aisle, ignoring the scattering elites. They bypassed me entirely and flanked Julian. "Julian Sterling, you are under arrest for federal fraud, embezzlement, and conspiracy to commit money laundering."
"This is a mistake!" Julian screamed as the cold steel handcuffs snapped around his wrists. He looked at me, his eyes wide and pleading. "Elena! Tell them! Tell them it's a misunderstanding!"
"I told you," I said softly, stepping down from the altar. "Remember who you are. Because from now on, you're just Inmate Number 409."
May you like
As they dragged him away, Victoria was read her rights right beside the destroyed wedding cake. I turned my back on them both, unpinned my grandmother's veil, and handed it to Chloe.
"Let's go home," I said.
