Chapter 1 - The Stroke of Two
The silence in the ruined banquet hall was absolutely deafening.
I could feel the cold marble floor pressing hard against my spine.
My hands remained fiercely wrapped around my swollen belly to protect my unborn child.
Julian stared down at me with a mixture of pure disgust and sudden confusion.
He had fully expected a pathetic display of tears and begging.
He certainly had not expected a quiet, unnerving smile.
His mother, Beatrice, slowly lowered her hands and stopped her mocking applause.
Arthur Vance narrowed his sharp, calculating eyes at me.
"Are you having a psychotic break, Jules?" Julian sneered.
"Or did that little fall completely scramble your brain?"
Chloe giggled softly as she pressed her face into his tailored shoulder.
"She’s completely lost it, Julian," the young mistress whispered.
I slowly pushed myself up onto my trembling elbows.
A sharp jolt of pain radiated through my lower abdomen.
But I forced myself to ignore it.
I kept my eyes locked on the cracked face of my shattered wristwatch.
The second hand swept steadily toward the twelve.
It was exactly one minute past one fifty-nine.
The clock struck two o'clock in the afternoon.
Right on cue, the massive oak doors of the ballroom exploded inward with tremendous force.
The sound of splintering wood echoed through the room like a thunderclap.
Dozens of heavily armed men in dark tactical gear swarmed into the banquet hall.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation!" a booming voice shouted over the panic.
"Nobody move a single muscle!"
Wealthy guests screamed in terror and immediately dropped to the floor.
Julian instinctively shoved Chloe away from him and raised his hands in surrender.
Arthur Vance stepped forward with his usual arrogant, billionaire swagger.
"What is the meaning of this outrageous intrusion?" Arthur demanded loudly.
"I am personal friends with the governor and the chief of police!"
Special Agent Mercer strode aggressively through the chaos.
He did not spare a single glance for Arthur.
He did not look at Julian.
He walked straight past the towering wedding cake and headed directly toward me.
Julian quickly pointed an accusing, trembling finger in my direction.
"Officer, my crazy wife is deeply unwell and probably called you on a fake alarm!" Julian shouted.
Agent Mercer calmly pulled a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his tactical belt.
He reached down and roughly grabbed my wrists.
"Jules Vance, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit federal wire fraud," Mercer announced coldly.
The cold steel cuffs clicked tightly around my wrists.
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I stared up in absolute horror at the man who was supposed to be my inside contact.
The lead FBI agent had just sold me out to the highest bidder.
