Chapter 5 - The Desperate Grab
Driven by sheer panic, Victoria lunged forward like a feral creature, her manicured nails reaching straight for the photograph in Ethan's hands.
"Give that to me!" she screamed, dropping all pretenses of elegance as her tiara slipped crookedly down her forehead. "You're ruining my life! Give it to me!"
Ethan didn't even flinch. He simply stepped back, letting his mother's long-time friend—a retired police captain who was attending as a guest—step between them. The captain grabbed Victoria firmly by her shoulders, holding her back as she thrashed against her heavy ballgown.
"Let go of me!" Victoria shrieked, tears of rage smearing her dark eye makeup down her pale face. "Dad! Do something! Call our lawyers! Stop them!"
Richard Sterling reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his cell phone with white knuckles. "I'm calling the Chief of Police right now! I'll have this entire circus shut down!"
"Don't bother, Mr. Sterling," Ethan said calmly, pulling his own phone from his tuxedo pocket and tapping the screen. "The Chief of Police is already on his way. In fact, he's standing in the lobby right now."
The heavy oak doors at the back of the luxury ballroom swung open with a resounding bang.
Four uniformed state troopers walked down the central aisle toward the altar, accompanied by two federal investigators in dark suits. The sound of their heavy boots against the marble floor rang like a death toll for the Sterling family.
The lead federal agent held up an official arrest warrant stamped by the district court.
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"Richard Sterling," the agent declared, his voice booming through the silent room. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction of justice, and federal wire fraud."
👉 Read Part 6 to see what happened when the police handcuffed the Sterling family in front of their guests.
