Before Julian could respond, the sound of heavy screeching tires echoed from the front driveway outside[cite: 1]. Blue and red lights flashed through the large dining room windows, reflecting off the pristine white walls and the framed American flag[cite: 1].
Julian: Mom! There are police cars outside! Dozens of them!
Margarethe: Get upstairs and hide the ring! Hide it in the safe right now!
Julian scrambled out of his chair, knocking over his iced tea glass as he bolted toward the grand staircase[cite: 1]. But before he reached the foyer, the heavy double front doors were forced open with a violent crash[cite: 1].
Four federal agents dressed in dark tactical vests walked into the mansion, led by Arthur Vance and a sharp-looking female detective holding an arrest warrant.
Detective Ross: Margarethe Sterling! Julian Sterling! Stay where you are and put your hands where we can see them!
Margarethe: How dare you break into my private home! Do you have any idea who I am?!
Detective Ross: You are currently a criminal suspect under federal indictment for wire fraud, extortion, and grand larceny, Mrs. Sterling.
Julian: Get away from me! I didn't do anything! It was my mom's idea!
Margarethe: Julian! Hold your tongue!
Julian: She told me to take the ring! She told me to insult Chloe! I was just following her instructions!
Margarethe: You spineless little coward!
Detective Ross stepped forward, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from her belt and clicking them firmly over Margarethe’s manicured wrists[cite: 1].
Margarethe: Take your hands off me! I demand to see my lawyer!
Detective Ross: You can call your lawyer from the federal detention center, ma'am. Agent Miller, search the son and secure the stolen jewelry.
Another agent grabbed Julian by his suit collar, pushing him against the white marble wall and searching his pockets until he pulled out the velvet box containing the antique diamond ring[cite: 1].
Agent Miller: We found the stolen property, Detective. It's intact.
Julian: That's mine! That ring was given to my family!
Arthur: That ring was stolen from Chloe Hayes less than an hour ago, Julian. And every second it was in your possession adds another felony charge to your record.
As the agents dragged Julian and Margarethe toward the front doors in handcuffs, a sleek silver town car pulled up to the curb[cite: 1].
The rear door opened, and Chloe stepped out[cite: 1]. She was now dressed in an elegant white suit, her hair perfectly styled, her skin clean and glowing under the afternoon sun[cite: 1].
Julian stared at her in utter shock as he was forced toward the back of the police cruiser[cite: 1].
Julian: Chloe! Chloe, please! Tell them it was a prank! Tell them we were just messing around!
Chloe walked up to him, her posture erect, her face cold and calm.
Chloe: Pranks are supposed to be funny, Julian. But shoving a grieving woman into a bowl of food and stealing her dead grandmother's inheritance isn't a prank. It's a crime.
Margarethe: You ungrateful little bitch! My family took you in when your father died!
Chloe: You didn't take me in, Margarethe. You trapped me in your house so you could drain my father's accounts. But you forgot one thing.
Margarethe: What?! What did I forget?!
Chloe: My father taught me how to handle snakes before he passed.
Detective Ross pushed Margarethe into the back seat of the police car, slamming the door shut on her furious screams[cite: 1]. Julian was shoved into the second cruiser right behind her, weeping uncontrollably as the steel doors locked him inside[cite: 1].