Chapter 3 - Echoes in the Iron Chamber
The precinct interrogation room smelled of burnt coffee and stale dampness. Julian Vance sat across from a public defender he had already dismissed twice. Across the metal table, Detective Sarah Reyes placed a thick manila folder beside an audio recorder.
"You were thorough, Julian," Reyes began, clicking her pen. "Shell corporations registered in the Caymans, falsified surrogate adoption papers, and half a million dollars transferred to a private clinic in Geneva under Victoria’s maiden name."
Julian laughed bitterly, leaning back against the cold chair. "You think you have an open-and-shut case? Marcus Sterling bought you. That child is legally registered under my name as the primary biological sponsor."
"Was," Reyes corrected smoothly. She pulled out a fresh DNA panel from the Sterling forensic institute. "The fertility lab you compromised didn't use your biological material, Julian. Your technician had a conscience. The child is entirely Clara’s through donor inheritance that Marcus arranged before your sham engagement."
Julian’s face went completely gray. His lips parted, but no sound came out.
"Victoria already cracked," Reyes continued, resting her forearms on the table. "She told us about the altered brake lines on Clara’s SUV. She handed over the offshore account routing numbers you used to purchase the neuromuscular paralytic. In thirty minutes, federal prosecutors will unseal the indictment for attempted murder, human trafficking, and corporate espionage."
"I have rights," Julian hissed, his hands shaking in his lap.
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"You had a loving family and an honorable life handed to you on a silver platter," Reyes said, standing up. "And you traded both away for an inheritance you never earned. Enjoy the federal holding facility, Mr. Vance."
As the steel door clicked shut, Julian buried his head in his hands. The polished corporate executive was gone; only the hollow shell of unbridled ambition remained.
