Chapter 5 - The Shadow of the Ring
Julianna didn't scream as the cold steel handcuffs clicked around her wrists. Her mind was trapped in the loop of her own undoing—the sound of water splashing onto hot concrete, the slide of platinum off her finger, and the look of absolute disgust in Ethan's eyes.
Samuel Vance watched the unmarked black sedan pull away from the curb, carrying the ruined heiress into federal custody. He turned to the third man standing in the doorway of the boutique—Ethan, who had never actually left, but had stepped into the shadows of the lobby to watch the final trap snap shut.
Ethan held the seven-carat engagement ring in his open palm.
"She really didn't love me, did she?" Ethan asked quietly, staring at the glittering diamond.
"She didn't even see you, son," Samuel said, reaching up to peel the silicone theatrical makeup and artificial grime from his neck and jaw. "She saw a vault. And her father was holding the dynamite."
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Samuel pulled a clean linen handkerchief from his pocket, wiping the artificial dirt from his hands.
"Come on," the old director said softly, placing a heavy hand on his son's shoulder. "We have a board meeting at four o'clock. And this time, we clean the entire house."
