Chapter 14 - The Fall of a Titan
The federal marshals didn't hesitate. Specialized agents in heavy tactical gear moved with mechanical precision, bypassing the fleeing socialites to converge directly upon the central dais.
“Arthur Vance,” the lead federal investigator announced, his voice echoing cleanly across the cavernous, half-empty hall as he drew a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt. “You are under arrest for corporate racketeering, securities fraud, identity theft, and the attempted assassination of Elena Vance.”
Arthur lunged forward in a desperate, pathetic flash of instinct, his hands clawing toward the micro-SD card still resting in the master control console. But a federal agent intercepted him mid-stride, driving him firmly to the cold marble floor.
The heavy click of the steel cuffs locking into place sounded like a final gavel strike.
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As they dragged him upward—his tailored designer suit stained with dust, his face twisted in a mask of impotent fury and humiliated defeat—Arthur spat one final, venomous warning over his shoulder. “You think this ends with me? The foundation of this estate was rotten long before I arrived. You’ve only exposed a symptom, Margaret. You’ll never find the root.”
The heavy oak doors swung shut behind him as the agents hauled him out into the swirling amber lights of the night, leaving a heavy, exhausted silence in their wake.
