Chapter 3

Natalie's POV

Without sparing Julian another glance, I turned toward the stairs.

"Stop right there," Julian's voice barked behind me, thick with rising anger. "Apologize to Chloe."

My feet froze on the steps. I looked back, my eyes cold and dripping with mockery. "Julian, I've done everything you asked. What on earth do you want me to apologize for?"

A shadow crossed Julian's face.

He was used to my docility; for three years, I had blended into the background like the furniture in this penthouse.

Today, my defiance grated violently on his nerves.

"Julian, let it go..." Chloe chimed in softly, clutching his sleeve with a fragile expression. "It's natural for Natalie to be upset. With the investigation breathing down her neck, she's probably terrified..."

Before she could finish, the piercing wail of police sirens shattered the quiet outside.

Several squad cars pulled up, blocking the front gates of the estate.

My hand clamped down on the banister, my knuckles turning stark white.

They were here even faster than I had anticipated.

The front doors were pushed open, and federal agents strode in, flashing their badges. "We have received a formal complaint regarding Apex Investments' involvement in large-scale money laundering. We have a warrant to bring in the current legal owner, Ms. Natalie Hayes."

Chloe instinctively shrank behind Julian, her palms slick with cold sweat.

If Julian hadn't forced that transfer agreement on me last night, she would be the one standing here facing federal agents.

Julian didn't look at the agents. He turned his head, his gaze settling calmly on me on the stairs.

"Go change your clothes," he said smoothly, as if they weren't law enforcement, but a private driver waiting to take me to a gala.

I stood on the stairs, looking down at the man.

He had personally pushed me into this abyss, yet now he spoke with absolute nonchalance, expecting me to walk into it with poise.

"Julian," I curled my fingers into fists, unable to hide the tremor of fear in my voice. "You told me yesterday it was just routine questioning. You said you wouldn't let anything happen to me."

Julian frowned slightly, though his tone softened into a placating murmur. "The Vance legal team is already en route. Don't worry, you're only going in for questioning. You'll be back soon."

He turned to the lead agent. "My wife is not in good health. I trust you will conduct this strictly by the book. My family's legal department will be monitoring every step of the process."

The agent nodded. "Mr. Vance, we only follow the evidence."

Step by step, I descended the stairs.

As I passed Julian, I stopped.

"Julian," I tilted my head slightly, staring at the face I had loved for three years, my eyes a barren wasteland. "What if... they find irrefutable evidence?"

The tangled mess of Apex Investments was not something that could be brushed off with simple questioning.

It was a bottomless black hole.

Looking at my pale, hollow face, a brief flicker of unease flashed across Julian's eyes. But he lowered his voice and said, "I have arranged everything. Nothing will happen to you."

Beside him, Chloe watched Julian soothing me with a flash of bitter jealousy.

She stepped forward, looping her arm around his, her voice honeyed. "Julian, I'm sure Ms. Hayes will be fine. Let's not waste any more time; delaying things will only make it harder on her."

Julian took her words to heart. He looked at me, his tone calm. "Chloe is right. You'll be fine."

He spoke of federal detention as if it were a weekend getaway.

"Fine."

I closed my eyes, swallowing the bitter bile in my throat.

I turned around and extended both hands toward the agents.

Cold steel handcuffs snapped shut around my slender wrists, the chill biting straight to the bone.

As they escorted me out the door, I didn't look back.

I straightened my spine and stepped out into the pouring rain.

Through the squad car window, I saw Julian standing in the warm foyer, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

What he didn't know was that once I walked out that door, I was never coming back.

The police car sped away from the gated community, the heavy rain blurring the world outside.

I leaned against the cold glass, the steel cuffs digging painfully into my wrists.

As we entered the downtown district, the agent in the passenger seat suddenly received a call.

Hanging up, he turned around, looking at me with a mixture of pity and disbelief.

"Ms. Hayes, we just received an update. The Vance Corporation's legal team has just submitted supplementary evidence."

My heart plummeted into a bottomless void, an ominous premonition seizing me.

"The documents prove that all illicit fund transfers through Apex Investments were conducted under your sole instruction. Furthermore, the Vance legal department has officially withdrawn from representing you."

He looked at my ash-white face and sighed. "In other words, you currently have no legal counsel. Do you want us to appoint a public defender for you?"

The color drained from my face until I looked like a corpse.