Chapter 3: The Uninvited Guest
"This is a setup!" Sophia’s father, Senator Charles Vance, roared, standing up from his front-row seat and slamming his fist against the mahogany barrier. "Liam, I will ruin your company for this public defamation! You cannot accuse a Vance of attempted murder based on an unverified video clip!"
"It’s fully verified, Senator," a calm, chilling voice echoed from the grand entrance of the ballroom.
The massive double doors swung open, and three individuals walked down the center aisle, cutting through the sea of terrified wedding guests. Leading them was Special Agent Marcus Vance—Sophia’s own estranged older brother, a man who had cut ties with the family years ago to join the FBI’s Elite Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit.
Sophia collapsed against the altar rail, her face turning an ashen, ghostly white. "Marcus... what are you doing here?"
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"I’m here to execute a federal arrest warrant, little sister," Marcus said coldly, flashing his gold badge beneath the ballroom chandeliers. "We didn't just receive the security footage from Lily. We received the full data dump from the encrypted burner phone you used to contract the mechanic who altered Liam’s vehicle in March. Your 'secret paradise' island account in the Caymans was flagged by federal treasury tracking forty-eight hours ago."
The ballroom erupted into absolute chaos. Paparazzi drones that had been hired to capture the 'fairytale wedding' began frantically zooming in on the bride, their camera shutters clicking rapidly like a swarm of digital locusts. The legacy family name that the Vances had spent a century protecting on Wall Street was being obliterated in real-time on national television.
