Chapter 8 - The Recording
Elena’s thumb rested subtly over the fabric of her pocket.
The screen of her phone was still faintly glowing.
The voice memo application had been running for the last twenty minutes.
She had captured every single word Chloe just whispered.
“You are not taking my son,” Elena said, her voice suddenly steady and terrifyingly calm.
Chloe rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Take the child,” Chloe ordered the marshals.
Silas stepped fully between the men and Elena.
“If you lay a hand on her, I will have your badges stripped and your pensions dissolved before lunch,” Silas threatened.
The marshals hesitated, fully aware of Silas Vance's immense political power.
Elena stepped out from behind Silas.
She pulled the phone from her pocket and tapped the screen.
The clear, unmistakable voice of Chloe Sterling echoed through the quiet library.
"Of course I did it, you pathetic idiot. I needed a backup plan to secure Julian's throne."
Chloe’s smug smile vanished instantly.
The color completely drained from her perfectly contoured face.
The federal marshals looked at each other in sheer confusion and alarm.
“That is a manipulated recording!” Chloe shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at Elena.
“It is a high-definition, digitally time-stamped confession to medical tampering, theft, and extortion,” Silas corrected smoothly.
Silas turned to the lead marshal.
“If you execute that fraudulent warrant now, you become an accessory to a massive federal crime.”
The marshal swallowed hard and took a step back toward the elevator.
“We need to verify this with the district attorney,” the marshal said nervously.
“This operation is on hold.”
The three men turned and quickly retreated into the elevator, wanting absolutely nothing to do with the exploding scandal.
Chloe was left standing entirely alone in the penthouse.
“You think a little audio clip is going to stop Julian?” Chloe hissed, her facade cracking wildly.
“Julian is going to crush you.”
“Julian doesn't know you stole a Vance embryo, does he?” Elena guessed accurately.
Chloe flinched, confirming Elena's suspicion.
“If Julian finds out his new wife orchestrated his ultimate humiliation, he will destroy you himself,” Elena promised.
Chloe spun around and practically ran into the elevator.
The doors closed, leaving Elena and Silas alone once more.
Elena let out a massive breath, her knees shaking so badly she almost collapsed.
Silas caught her by the waist and guided her to a plush velvet sofa.
“That was brilliant,” Silas praised, looking at her with genuine awe.
“We have enough evidence to put her in federal prison and shatter Sterling Enterprises.”
Elena looked down at her baby, feeling a fierce, protective fire burning in her chest.
“Call your lawyers, Silas.”
“I want Julian and Chloe completely ruined by tomorrow morning.”
Silas smiled, a predatory gleam in his gray eyes.
“I am already drafting the press release.”
Before Silas could reach for his phone, the massive television screen on the wall suddenly turned on.
A breaking news alert flashed across the screen in bold red letters.
The news anchor looked grave.
“We have breaking news regarding billionaire Julian Sterling,” the anchor announced.
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“Sterling Enterprises has just secured an emergency federal injunction, freezing all assets belonging to Silas Vance and Elena Hayes.”
“Furthermore, a federal judge has ordered an immediate SWAT raid on the Vance penthouse to recover a kidnapped child.”
