Chapter 14 - THE RAT IN THE CAGE
"You can't remove me!" Victoria shrieked, her voice echoing off the glass walls.
"I built this company!"
"Our father built this company," Isabella said coldly, stepping closer to her mother.
"You just built a mountain of lies on top of it."
Julian suddenly lunged toward the table, reaching for the black folder containing the financial records.
Before his fingers could touch the paper, Marcus stepped through the boardroom doors, accompanied by four armed federal marshals.
"Julian Vance? Victoria Vance?" the lead marshal announced, pulling out two pairs of heavy steel handcuffs.
"You are both under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, corporate embezzlement, and federal wire fraud."
Julian froze.
He looked at the marshals, then at his two identical sisters standing side by side.
A bitter, insane laugh escaped his lips.
"You two think you've won?" Julian spat as the officers grabbed his arms and forced them behind his back.
"You think you can just take over?"
"The company is eighty million dollars in debt because of Father's old deals!"
"The offshore accounts are empty!"
"I drained them three days ago!"
Victoria turned on her son in absolute terror.
"What?! Julian, what did you do?!"
"I hid the money where neither of you will ever find it!" Julian laughed hysterically as the handcuffs clicked tightly around his wrists.
"Without that money, the company defaults on its loans at midnight tonight!"
"Vance Enterprises is going bankrupt!"
"And you two will inherit nothing but air and lawsuits!"
The marshals slammed Julian down against the table to secure his restraints.
Victoria began to weep hysterically as an officer cuffed her manicured wrists.
"Isabella! Help me!" Victoria sobbed, looking at Seraphina in the red dress.
"I am your mother! I saved your life when you were seven!"
Seraphina looked down at Victoria with cold, unblinking eyes.
"You didn't save my life, Victoria."
"You bought it using Seraphina's flesh."
"Take her away," Seraphina added softly.
The marshals dragged Victoria and Julian out of the executive suite.
Their screams and curses echoed down the long hallway until the heavy glass doors clicked shut.
The twelve board members sat in complete, stunned silence.
The grand Vance empire had been decapitated in less than ten minutes.
The oldest board member, Mr. Harrison, stood up with trembling hands.
"Miss... Miss Vance..." Harrison stammered, looking between the two sisters.
"Julian was telling the truth about the debt."
"If eighty million dollars isn't deposited into the central account by midnight..."
"The banks will seize all company assets."
"The company will be liquidated tomorrow morning."
"We will all be ruined."
Isabella and Seraphina exchanged a quick, silent glance.
Isabella stepped forward, placing both hands on the table.
"Julian thinks he's the only one who knows how to trace offshore money," Isabella said.
"He forgot who raised him."
Isabella looked over at Seraphina and nodded.
"Marcus," Seraphina said into her lapel microphone.
"Initiate Protocol Blackout."
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"Lock down every elevator, every server, and every exit in this building."
"No one leaves until we find Julian's private key."
