Chapter 9 - The Fall of the Empire
Julian's smug expression instantly evaporated, replaced by a look of sheer, panicked confusion.
"That is impossible, I authorized the transfer to your exact routing numbers!" he shouted, dropping the gold pen onto the table.
He frantically grabbed a laptop from the podium and frantically hammered the keys to check the internal banking system.
I let out a slow, quiet breath of relief, realizing that Leo had successfully hijacked the mainframe just in time.
Leo hadn't just stopped the sale; he had actively rerouted the syndicate's billions of dollars directly into the hands of the authorities.
"You set us up, Julian," the syndicate boss snarled, cocking the hammer of his heavy revolver with a loud, threatening click.
Maya screamed in terror, dropping her champagne glass as the rest of the syndicate members simultaneously drew their weapons.
Before anyone could pull a trigger, the massive glass doors of the boardroom were violently kicked open from the outside.
Leo marched into the room, flanked by heavily armed federal agents wearing tactical gear and carrying assault rifles.
"Nobody move!" the lead agent bellowed, securing the perimeter while his team quickly disarmed the stunned syndicate members.
Julian stared at Leo in absolute horror, finally realizing that the brother he had tried to murder was standing right in front of him.
"You," Julian whispered, his voice trembling as his entire criminal empire crumbled into dust before his eyes.
Leo did not say a word to him; he simply walked over and handed the lead federal agent the leather binder from Eleanor's vault.
"That contains every piece of evidence you need to prosecute Julian and this entire board of directors for fraud, embezzlement, and murder," Leo stated firmly.
The agent nodded, signaling for his team to place heavy steel handcuffs on the syndicate boss and the corrupt board members.
Maya tried to quietly slip out the side door, but an agent roughly grabbed her by her good shoulder and slammed her against the wall.
"You can't arrest me, I was a hostage!" she cried out, attempting to play the victim one final, pathetic time.
I stood up from my chair, walking over to my treacherous sister with a look of absolute disgust.
"Hostages don't usually complain about missing out on their two-million-dollar bounties, Maya," I said coldly, watching the agent cuff her.
Julian, realizing he had entirely lost, suddenly lunged across the table with his hidden pistol aimed directly at my chest.
A deafening gunshot echoed through the boardroom, shattering the expensive glass windows behind me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting to feel the burning agony of a bullet tearing through my flesh.
Instead, I heard a heavy, agonizing groan, followed by the sound of a body collapsing onto the mahogany table.
I opened my eyes and saw Julian bleeding heavily from his shoulder, his weapon clattering harmlessly to the floor.
Leo stood perfectly still, his handgun smoking slightly as he stared down at his wounded, pathetic half-brother.
"That was for Eleanor," Leo said quietly, lowering his weapon as the federal agents aggressively tackled Julian to the ground.
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The nightmare was finally over, and the monsters who had destroyed my life were entirely at the mercy of the law.
As the police dragged my screaming husband out of the room, I finally felt the heavy, crushing weight lift from my shoulders.
