Chapter 3 - The Untouchable Attorney
The federal agents moved with clinical, terrifying efficiency. Two of them flanked Luke, hauling him up from the grass by his arms before he could even attempt to crawl away. They slapped heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists with a sharp, echoing click that made the neighborhood gossips gasp in unison.
Chloe shrieked, backing away as a third agent retrieved the flash drive from the edge of the pool, sealing it inside an evidence bag. "This is a mistake! You can't arrest him! Do you know who his lawyer is?!"
"Yes, Miss," the lead FBI agent replied flatly, holding up the plastic evidence bag. "And his lawyer isn't going to help him this time. Because the man who handed him that flash drive is the lead special prosecutor’s co-counsel on this federal indictment."
The agent gestured toward Julian.
Chloe spun around, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Julian Vance, finally realizing that the man she had mocked as a "discount actor" was actually one of the most feared legal titans in the country. She turned on Luke, her voice shifting from panicked defense to rabid fury. "You lied to me! You said the money was clean! You told me your ex was broke!"
"Shut up, Chloe... just shut up..." Luke whimpered, his face stained with tears and sweat as the agents shoved him toward the back of an unmarked SUV.
As the federal vehicle doors slammed shut and the convoy peeled away down the cul-de-sac, the neighborhood slowly exhaled. The moms were staring at me with wide, bewildered eyes, whispering frantically among themselves.
I stood by the refreshment table, my chest still heaving with residual adrenaline. I looked down at the empty patio where my ex-husband had just been carted off to federal prison, and then looked up at Julian.
Julian walked over calmly, stepping around a stray pool float. He offered me a soft, reassuring smile that completely transformed the cold, predatory aura he had worn just moments before.
"Are you alright, Clara?" Julian asked, his voice dropping into a warm, gentle register.
"I... I think so," I breathed, running a hand through my hair. "Julian, you didn't tell me you were going to drop a federal indictment on him in the middle of a toddler's pool party. That was... nuclear."
Julian chuckled softly, slipping his hands into his tailored trouser pockets. "Well, to be fair, Mr. Hayes did invite himself. I simply ensured he received his party favors on time. Besides, he deserved a public audience after the way he treated you."
Before I could answer, little Toby toddled over from the splash pool, dripping wet, clutching a rubber duck in his hand. He looked up at Julian, blinking his big hazel eyes, completely oblivious to the federal arrest that had just occurred ten feet away.
"Mister? Are you a superhero?" Toby asked innocently, tilting his head.
Julian’s eyes softened instantly. He knelt down on one knee—completely unconcerned about grass stains on his thousand-dollar trousers—and offered Toby a high-five.
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"Let's just say I'm a guy who likes making sure bad guys pay their debts, buddy," Julian smiled, gently tapping Toby’s tiny hand. "Happy fourth birthday."
I watched them, feeling a warm, unfamiliar flutter in my chest. For the first time in six years, the heavy, suffocating cloud of anxiety that had defined my life had completely vanished.
