Chapter 4: The House of Cards
Security guards finally moved, not to protect the couple, but to clear a path for the authorities. Two men in dark suits—federal agents—emerged from the crowd. They didn't go for Isabella. They went straight for Julian and Serena.
"Julian Thorne, Serena Thorne," the agent said, his voice clipped and efficient. "You are both under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud and the misappropriation of charitable funds."
The chaos was surgical. Julian tried to protest, his voice cracking, but he was silenced by the click of steel cuffs. Serena didn't even fight back; she stared blankly at the ceiling, her dreams of extortion destroyed by the very evidence she had provided during her long, drunken rants to Julian—rants Isabella had been recording for months.
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As the agents led them out, the room transformed into a frenzy of cameras and hushed, frantic conversations. The wedding wasn't just over; it was an obituary for two careers.
Isabella stood alone in the center of the ballroom, her dress ruined by the cake, her face still flecked with cream. But she had never looked more radiant. She wasn't the victim of a jealous ex-wife; she was the architect of a masterpiece.
