Julian stumbled backward until his lower back hit the edge of a heavy oak table, knocking over silver trays and expensive wine bottles. He gripped the edge of the wood to keep his legs from shaking, his breathing coming in short, ragged gasps as the audio recording finally faded away into a cold silence. He tried to speak, pointing a trembling finger at Victoria, but no smooth words or clever lies came out of his throat this time. Victoria walked up to him slowly, every single dirty step she took sounding like a heavy bell ringing in the quiet room. She stopped just two feet away from him, looking down at his terrified face with complete emotional calm.
She told him that he had made one fatal mistake when he tried to destroy her life and take her family's wealth. He had assumed that she was weak just because she was kind, and he had believed that taking her money would strip away all of her power. She explained how she had managed to break free from his hired men in the woods, running for miles through the dark thorns and cold rivers to get back to the city before the bank vaults opened. While Julian was putting on his expensive tuxedo and pouring champagne for his rich friends, Victoria was working with her father's top legal team and federal private investigators to freeze every single offshore account he had created.
Two massive, muscular bodyguards dressed in solid black suits stepped through a hidden side door that was connected to the private family office upstairs. They walked with fast, heavy strides directly toward Julian, their sharp eyes locked entirely onto him with cold military discipline. Julian tried to jump over the table to run toward the back kitchen corridors, but one of the bodyguards grabbed him firmly by his shoulder and slammed him down against the hard floor. The sound of metal handcuffs clicking around Julian's wrists echoed clearly through the silent room, signaling the absolute end of his fake power and stolen fortune. The crowd broke out into loud whispers of relief as they saw the arrogant villain finally brought down to the ground.
Victoria looked down at Julian as he lay on the marble floor, his polished face pressed against the cold stone surface where scattered champagne glass pieces rested just inches from his eyes. She leaned down close to his ear, repeating the exact words he had whispered to her just ten minutes ago when she first walked through the front doors. She asked him if he was still waiting for someone to come save him from the trap he had made. Julian closed his eyes tightly as hot tears of pure embarrassment and utter defeat mixed with the dirt on his cheeks. He knew that his freedom, his social status, and his access to money were completely gone forever.