Chapter 11 - The Journey to NewarkAt dawn, Bennett flagged down an empty milk transport truck driven by an old acquaintance who asked no questions upon seeing the hundred-dollar bills Julian peeled from his inner wallet. They rode in the refrigerated darkness among stainless steel tanks, traveling eastward toward the industrial fringe of Newark.
Inside the quiet truck, Clara brushed Lily’s hair with her fingers, working out the knots gently.
"Mommy, are the bad men still in the cellar?" Lily asked, her small voice cutting through the hum of the diesel engine.
"No, darling," Clara answered, her voice trembling slightly before steadying. "The cellar is closed. We are going to a place with tall buildings and wide streets where the sun doesn't hide."
"And Daddy stays?" Lily asked, turning her hazel eyes toward Julian.
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Julian reached out, taking both of their hands into his own large, scarred palms. "Daddy stays forever. No more long trips. No more board meetings. Just us."
When the truck stopped in an industrial park outside Newark, Bennett led them to an unassuming brick office building near the canal. Federal agents, alerted by Bennett’s brother-in-law, were already waiting in unmarked sedans, their faces tight with nervous anticipation. This was no routine white-collar deposition; it was the unraveling of a dynasty.
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