Chapter 5 - The Trap Springs
Panic erupted in the grand ballroom. Cameras flashed wildly as reporters who were covering the gala surged forward, thrusting microphones toward the stage.
"That's a lie!" Julian screamed, his face contorted in rage, pointing a shaking finger at Clare. "She’s insane! She’s been mentally unstable since her stillbirth! Security, remove her!"
"Is this a lie, Julian?" Parker asked loudly, pressing another button on his remote.
The screen shifted again, displaying a series of bank transfer records, property deeds, and encrypted text messages retrieved from Gary’s abandoned truck.
"These are monthly offshore wire transfers from Apex Medical Logistics—a shell company owned by Julian Lauron—to Gary Vance, a convicted felon currently wanted for child endangerment," Parker announced. "And here is the certified DNA report from St. Jude’s Children's Hospital, confirming a 99.9% match between Clare Lauron and the twins."
Dr. Aris Thorne collapsed back into his chair, covering his face in utter defeat.
"You ruined me..." Thorne whimpered, his voice caught by a hot mic nearby. "Julian... you promised me she would never find out!"
The crowd gasped in horror. The admission echoed through the speakers for everyone to hear.
Julian turned toward the side exit, attempting to push through the crowd to escape, but the heavy double doors swung open before he could reach them.
Six federal agents from the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force stepped into the ballroom, led by Special Agent Vance.
"Julian Lauron! Dr. Aris Thorne!" Agent Vance announced, pulling out handcuffs. "You are under arrest for federal kidnapping, human trafficking, fraud, and conspiracy!"
The agents swarmed the head table. Within seconds, Julian’s arms were forced behind his back, the heavy steel handcuffs snapping shut around his wrists.
As the agents dragged Julian past the stage, he glared at Clare with venomous hatred. "You think you’ve won, Clare?! You won't last a month! I’ll be out on bail by midnight!"
Clare leaned down from the stage, looking into his eyes with absolute coldness.
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"You won't get bail, Julian," Clare whispered softly. "Because while you were standing here making speeches, Parker froze every single one of your domestic and offshore bank accounts. You’re penniless, Julian. Just like my daughters were when you threw them into the dirt."
Julian’s eyes widened in horror as the realization hit him. The agents shoved him through the doors, out into the flashing red-and-blue lights of waiting police cars, as the media recorded every second of his humiliation.
