Chapter 4: The Descent into Reality
The tires of the Gulfstream screeched as they hit the tarmac of Stewart Air National Guard Base with a violent shudder. Reverse thrusters roared, throwing Julian forward against his seatbelt. The smooth, luxurious isolation of the first-class cabin was instantly shattered by the aggressive reality of the landing.
Through the window, Julian watched as three black SUVs and an armored transport van escorted by State Police cruisers flanked the decelerating aircraft. Men in tactical vests with "FBI" emblazoned across their chests took positions along the runway.
Vivienne stood up smoothly, unbuckling her seatbelt without a single hair out of place. She walked over to the cabin door as the jet came to a final stop.
"This is where your journey ends, Julian," she said, looking down at him. "You wanted a life of luxury without the work. Now you get a life of isolation without the freedom."
"Vivienne, don't do this! Think of our families! Think of what people will say at the Hamptons gala next month!" Julian begged, crawling toward her on his knees, completely stripped of his former dignity.
"Oh, I am thinking of the Hamptons," Vivienne smiled, a genuine, beautiful, yet terrifying expression. "I'll be hosting the gala alone. And I will tell everyone exactly how I handled the trash."
The heavy cabin door unsealed with a loud hiss of escaping pneumatic pressure. The cold, crisp air of upstate New York rushed into the warm, perfumed cabin. Two burly federal agents immediately stepped across the threshold, handcuffs gleaming in the harsh fluorescent light of the airfield.
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"Julian Vance?" the lead agent called out. "You are under arrest for grand larceny, wire fraud, and corporate espionage against the Sterling Group."
As the agents pinned Julian to the custom wool carpet of the aisle, clicking the cold steel around his wrists, he looked up at his wife one last time. She didn't look back with anger or hatred. She looked at him with the cold satisfaction of a master builder who had successfully demolished a faulty structure.
