Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage Crumbles
The regional detention center was a bleak, concrete monolith located on the industrial edge of the city.
Three days after his arrest, Julian sat behind a scratch-resistant Plexiglas partition in the attorney-client visitation room. He no longer looked like the polished, charismatic developer who had strutted into my hospital room. His high-end suit was rumpled and stained, his dark hair was greasy and uncombed, and deep black circles shadowed his hollow eyes.
Across from him sat Chloe, wearing a simple tracksuit, her face free of makeup, looking utterly exhausted and furious.
“Julian!” Chloe slammed her palm against the glass. “My lawyer says the prenup you made me sign leaves me with nothing if you go to prison for financial fraud! Is this true? Am I broke?!”
“Chloe, please, keep your voice down,” Julian begged, looking around nervously at the correctional officers standing near the door. “My defense team is working on a bail package. As soon as we get access to the offshore account in Nevis—”
“There is no offshore account in Nevis!” Chloe screamed, ignoring the guard’s warning glare. “The federal marshals froze that account two days ago! It wasn't even under your name! It was under Maya’s father’s trust!”
Julian winced as if he had been struck. “What?”
“She owned everything, you complete idiot!” Chloe yelled, tears of anger spilling down her cheeks. “You told me you were worth twenty million dollars! You told me she was just an unemployed parasite living off your hard work! I left my career as an interior designer because you promised me a mansion in Spain!”
“I didn't know!” Julian wept, pressing his forehead against the cold glass. “She never told me! She wore cheap clothes from department stores! She drove a six-year-old Honda!”
“She drove that car because she didn't need to prove anything to anyone!” Chloe spat, standing up from her metal stool. “You know what the press is calling you, Julian? They’re calling you the 'Pauper Prince.' They’re laughing at you on every news channel!”
“Chloe, baby, don't leave me,” Julian whimpered, stretching his cuffed hands toward the partition. “We’re married! We took vows three days ago!”
“Our wedding was a paid publicity stunt funded by a bounced check,” Chloe said coldly, pulling her diamond engagement ring off her finger and tossing it into the small document tray beneath the glass. “The jeweler called me this morning. The check you gave them for this ring was drawn on a closed account. They’re suing me for civil conversion if I don't return it.”
May you like
She turned her back on him and walked out the heavy steel door, her footsteps echoing down the concrete corridor.
Julian stared at the cheap cubic zirconia ring resting in the metal tray, the cold reality of his total isolation finally crashing down upon his chest like a mountain of lead.
