Chapter 21 - The National Honor
Three months after the syndicate was destroyed, Julian, Clara, and Chloe traveled to Washington D.C. as honored guests of the nation.
At a special ceremony inside the United States Capitol Building, the family was presented with the Presidential Citizen Medal.
Senators, federal directors, and military leaders stood in unanimous applause as seven-year-old Chloe stepped up to the podium.
The President of the United States kneeled down, pinning a small silver medal onto Chloe's sky blue dress.
"This brave young girl saved her father's life and helped federal authorities dismantle an international criminal network," the President announced.
Chloe smiled sweetly into the wall of flashing news cameras, holding her brand new brown teddy bear tightly in her small arms.
Julian stood beside his wife, wearing his charcoal grey suit with an American flag pin proudly displayed on his lapel.
The nightmare that had begun on a library rug in Boston had transformed into a national story of resilience and love.
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Millions of Americans watched live as the Vance family embraced on the historic stage under the grand Capitol dome.
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