Chapter 6 - The Fall of the House of Sterling
I released Beatrice’s wrist, and she stumbled backward, collapsing onto the velvet banquette in a heap of torn lace and ruined mascara. Leonardo didn't offer her a hand. He removed his diamond-encrusted boutonnière, tossed it onto the shattered champagne glass on the floor, and walked away from the altar without looking back once.
At the entrance of the ballroom, the heavy double doors swung open fully. Six uniformed federal agents from the Securities and Exchange Commission, accompanied by prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, marched into the room.
The lead prosecutor, a formidable woman named Evelyn Vance whom I had personally briefed two days prior, stopped directly in front of Richard Sterling.
"Richard Sterling," Vance declared, her voice carrying through the silent, horrified gathering. "By order of the United States District Court, you are under arrest for perjury, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, and the obstruction of federal justice in the matter of United States versus Genevieve Croft."
Richard stared at the silver handcuffs Vance produced from her leather case. He looked around the ballroom for help, his eyes desperately seeking a single friend, a single loyal ally among the high-society elite he had entertained for thirty years.
Every single person looked away.
Billionaires turned their backs. Senators suddenly found their napkins fascinating. Former business partners stepped into the shadows, terrified that their proximity to Richard would drag them into the coming federal indictment.
"This is a mistake..." Richard stammered, his voice pathetic and hollow as the agents turned him around and clicked the steel cuffs around his wrists. "My lawyers will have this thrown out by sunrise! You don't know who I am! I am Richard Sterling!"
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"We know exactly who you are, Richard," Genevieve said, stepping directly into his line of sight as the agents escorted him past the head table. Her eyes were bright, clear, and completely victorious. "You are an ordinary criminal whose time just ran out."
The cameras exploded with flashes, immortalizing the image of Richard Sterling in handcuffs, led out of his daughter's wedding while Genevieve Croft stood tall in her red gown, glowing like a queen reclaiming her stolen crown.
