Chapter 10: The Trap at the Gala
Two nights later, the grand ballroom of the Chicago Plaza Hotel was filled with the wealthiest, most influential elites in the country. Elias had organized the emergency charity gala under the guise of an international fundraiser for orphaned children. In reality, the entire opulent event was an elaborate, heavily armed trap designed specifically for Victor Vargas.
Maya and Noah were completely safe, secured inside a heavily fortified underground panic room back at the New York estate under heavy guard. Elias stood by the towering ice sculpture in the center of the room, sipping sparkling water while his eyes scanned the glittering crowd. He checked his diamond-encrusted watch, knowing that Victor was arrogant enough to show up to collect his extortion money in person.
Right on cue, Victor stepped through the velvet-roped entrance, wearing a poorly tailored tuxedo that could not hide his brutal, criminal nature. He smirked as he spotted Elias, walking confidently across the floor while slipping a hand into his jacket pocket. "I see you brought the briefcase, Westbrook; I knew you were a smart man," Victor whispered as he approached the ice sculpture.
Elias gestured toward a sleek silver briefcase sitting discreetly on a side table covered in expensive silk. "Fifty million dollars in untraceable bearer bonds, exactly as you requested to leave my daughter alone," Elias said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. Victor’s eyes gleamed with raw, unadulterated greed as he reached out and popped the latches of the silver case open.
Inside the case, there were no bearer bonds, no stacks of cash, and no offshore account numbers. Instead, there was a single, high-definition digital screen live-streaming the inside of Victor’s own syndicate headquarters being raided by the FBI. "Did you really think a billionaire would pay a ransom without buying the judges, the police, and the federal agents first?" Elias whispered coldly.
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Victor’s triumphant smirk vanished instantly, replaced by a look of sheer, undeniable terror as he realized the magnitude of his catastrophic mistake. He reached frantically for the concealed weapon inside his jacket, desperate to take Elias down with him. Before he could even draw the pistol, Carter and three undercover tactical operatives tackled him violently to the marble floor.
The wealthy guests screamed and scattered as steel handcuffs were slapped onto Victor’s wrists with a harsh, final click. "You forged a birth certificate to steal a child, Victor; the federal prosecutors are going to bury you beneath the prison," Elias stated, looking down at the defeated criminal. The trap had snapped shut flawlessly, completely annihilating the threat to his family in front of three hundred witnesses.
