Chapter 47 - The Wounded Predator
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With the micro-SD card in federal hands, the Department of Justice launched a massive international crackdown.
Over thirty high-ranking executives, offshore bankers, and corrupt politicians tied to the Crown Syndicate were indicted within forty-eight hours.
Arthur Vance sat in a maximum-security federal holding facility in downtown Los Angeles, stripped of his bail, his lawyers abandoning him as his assets were seized globally.
I requested a private visiting session with him before his trial.
I walked into the visitation room, wearing a neat suit, walking without fear.
Arthur was led in by two federal marshals, wearing an orange jumpsuit, heavy chains around his waist and ankles. His hair was messy, his face gaunt, his former aura of untouchable power completely shattered.
He sat down across the bulletproof glass, picking up the black telephone handset with trembling, bruised fingers.
I picked up my handset.
"Hello, Arthur," I said quietly.
Arthur glared at me through the glass, his eyes sunken and hollow. "You think you're a hero, don't you, Sarah?"
"No," I replied smoothly. "I'm just a daughter who kept her promise."
"They will never let you rest," Arthur rasped into the receiver, his voice dripping with spite. "The Crown Syndicate has deep roots. Breaking one branch won't kill the tree."
"The tree is already falling, Arthur," I said, leaning closer to the glass. "Agent Vance recovered the master server in Zurich two hours ago. Every single person on that list is going to prison. Including you."
Arthur slammed his fist against the glass, making the marshals step forward aggressively.
"I gave you everything!" Arthur screamed into the receiver. "You were nothing without me!"
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"We were whole long before you met us," I said firmly. "And now, you are nothing."
I hung up the phone, stood up, and walked out of the visitation room without looking back once.
