Chapter 8 - The Confrontation at Foley Square
The federal building at Foley Square was a massive, imposing structure of grey granite, its towering columns looking like guardians of justice in the cold morning light.
Inside the secure conference room on the eighth floor, Arthur Vance, the US Attorney, sat behind a long oak table, his face a grim, unreadable mask as he listened to the audio files playing from my Swiss server.
Julian’s voice filled the room, cold and arrogant.
“No one will ever believe you over me, Evelyn. I own the police, I own the courts, and if you try to leave, you will find out just how quiet this city can be.”
Arthur Vance closed his eyes, his hands clasped in front of his face. He had spent his career fighting corruption, but this... this was a level of depravity that shook even him.
"We have verified the physical ledgers, Evelyn," Arthur said, opening his eyes and looking at me with a profound, quiet respect. "The transaction IDs match the federal banking records of Ashford Enterprises. And the files on the flash drive... they are enough to secure an immediate, non-bailable federal warrant for Julian’s arrest."
"And the baby?" I asked, my voice cracking. "What about Leo?"
"A team of federal marshals has already been dispatched to St. Jude’s," Arthur said gently. "They are securing the NICU. Julian cannot touch your son, Evelyn. He has no legal standing now that we have filed the emergency protective order."
A massive, weeping sigh of relief escaped my throat, the heavy weight that had been crushing my chest for weeks finally lifting.
"But we need to move fast," Arthur said, standing up and buttoning his jacket. "Julian is smart. He knows the alarm at the tower was you, and he knows you have the files. Our agents are already tracking his private jet at JFK. He’s trying to flee the country."
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"He won't leave without his money," I said, standing up beside him. "The main servers for his offshore accounts are located in the vault of the Ashford Bank on Wall Street. He has to authorize the transfer of the funds in person before he can access them from Switzerland."
Arthur looked at me, a sharp, tactical gleam in his eyes. "Then that is where we will catch him."
