Chapter 7 - The Final Collapse
Julian stared at the screen of my phone as if it were a venomous snake.
His grip on Dalia’s throat loosened significantly as the reality of absolute poverty crashed into his brain.
"You are lying," Julian whispered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Try to access it right now on your phone," I challenged him coldly.
Julian’s greedy desperation overpowered his survival instincts.
He lowered the gun completely, frantically reaching into his pocket with his free hand to retrieve his own phone.
That single moment of distraction was exactly what Gabriel had been waiting for.
Gabriel launched himself across the distance with terrifying speed.
He tackled Julian violently to the marble floor, knocking the silver pistol far out of reach.
The FBI agents swarmed them instantly, pinning Julian down and snapping heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists.
Dalia collapsed onto her knees, coughing and gasping for air as a medic rushed to her side.
Julian struggled uselessly against the federal agents, his face pressed painfully against the cold tile.
"You ruined my life!" Julian screamed at me, tears of complete rage streaming down his face.
I walked slowly over to where he was pinned on the ground.
I looked down at the man who had once been my entire universe, feeling absolutely nothing but pity.
"You ruined your own life the day you decided my grief was an inconvenience," I told him softly.
"I just made sure the rest of the world finally saw who you truly are."
The agents hauled Julian forcefully to his feet and began dragging him toward the main doors.
As he was pulled away, the remaining guests in the ballroom watched in complete silence.
The golden boy of the tech world was leaving in disgrace, completely stripped of his wealth and his fake reputation.
Gabriel walked over to me, gently wrapping his strong arms around my shoulders.
"Are you hurt?" Gabriel asked, his dark eyes scanning my face with deep concern.
"I am perfectly fine," I smiled, leaning into his warm embrace.
Suddenly, Dalia pushed the medic away and stumbled toward us on her high heels.
She looked at Gabriel with wide, desperate eyes, completely ignoring my presence.
"Mr. Lancaster, please, I was a victim of his abuse too," Dalia begged, batting her tear-stained eyelashes.
"If you just keep sponsoring my pageant, I can be the perfect spokesperson for your charity."
Gabriel looked at her with an expression of profound disgust.
"You are not a victim, Miss Fontaine, you are a willing accomplice."
Gabriel snapped his fingers, and his head of security stepped forward to hand Dalia a thick manila folder.
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"Those are the legal subpoenas for your role in the financial embezzlement."
"I strongly suggest you hire a very good defense attorney."
