Chapter 6 - The Desperate Hostage
The ballroom erupted into sheer, unadulterated chaos.
Women screamed and ducked under their silk-covered tables as Julian waved the gun frantically in the air.
"Nobody move!" Julian roared, his eyes completely bloodshot and wild.
The federal agents instantly drew their service weapons, aiming them directly at his chest.
"Put the gun down, Duval, there is nowhere left to run," the lead agent commanded sternly.
Julian ignored him, scanning the terrified crowd until his manic gaze locked entirely on me.
"This is all your fault, Khloe!" he screamed, taking a threatening step in my direction.
Gabriel stepped swiftly in front of me, shielding my pregnant body with his own.
"If you take one more step toward her, I will kill you myself," Gabriel promised, his voice devoid of any fear.
Julian laughed hysterically, the sound echoing terribly against the marble walls.
He suddenly lunged forward, not toward Gabriel, but toward Dalia who was frozen in shock nearby.
He grabbed the beauty queen by the throat and pressed the barrel of the pistol directly against her temple.
"Drop your weapons, or I blow her head off right now!" Julian screamed at the agents.
Dalia sobbed uncontrollably, clawing desperately at Julian’s arm as he choked her.
The FBI agents slowly lowered their weapons, unwilling to risk an innocent hostage.
"You really think you won, Khloe?" Julian taunted me from across the room.
"I wired the last fifty million dollars to an encrypted crypto wallet this morning."
He began dragging Dalia backward toward the kitchen service exit.
"I am leaving the country, and neither you nor the feds will ever find a single penny of that money!"
I stepped out from behind Gabriel, entirely unafraid of the pathetic man holding a gun.
"You are absolutely right about the crypto wallet, Julian," I said calmly.
Julian paused his retreat, looking at me with deep confusion.
"The encryption was brilliant, honestly one of your best pieces of coding," I complimented him dryly.
I pulled my cell phone from my clutch and held up the glowing screen for him to see.
"But you always used the same master password for everything you ever built."
Julian’s face went entirely slack as he realized what I was implying.
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"I guessed your password three months ago, Julian."
"I legally froze the crypto wallet through an international banking court yesterday afternoon."
