Six tall men in dark grey suits walked down the main aisle of the ballroom, their polished black boots clicking firmly against the marble floor. The lead agent pulled an official badge and legal folder from his jacket.
Agent Miller: Daniel Vance? Samantha Hayes?
Daniel: Please... give me ten minutes... let me talk to my attorney first...
Agent Miller: You have the right to remain silent, Mr. Vance. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a federal court of law.
Samantha: I didn't sign anything! I'm just a guest at this wedding!
Agent Miller: Ms. Hayes, we have full banking records showing fifteen offshore wire transfers signed with your personal digital key. Step forward and keep your hands visible.
Samantha: Touch me and I'll sue the entire department!
The two officers stepped forward calmly, grabbing Samantha's arms behind her back as she shrieked and kicked her feet against the floor.
Samantha: Daniel! Do something! Help me!
Daniel: Don't look at me! You ruined everything, you crazy woman!
Agent Miller: Turn around, Mr. Vance. Put your hands behind your back.
The steel handcuffs clicked shut around Daniel's wrists with a loud, sharp snap that echoed across the silent room.
Daniel: Clara! Look at me! Tell them to stop! We can still make this work! I'll sign a full prenup! I'll give up all rights to the business!
Clara: You don't have any rights to give up, Daniel. Everything you thought you owned belonged to my family from the start.
Daniel: What... what do you mean?
Arthur: The Vance estate was mortgaged to Sterling Financial five years ago, Daniel. Your father signed over the entire property portfolio to cover his gambling debts in Europe.
Daniel: No... no, that's impossible! My father told me we owned the whole estate clear and free!
Arthur: Your father lied to you, just like you lied to my daughter.
The agents dragged Daniel and Samantha toward the exit doors as the wedding guests stood up from their tables, pulling out their smartphones to record the humiliating scene.
Samantha: Put those phones away! Stop filming me!
Guest 5: This is going straight onto the internet! Everyone in town needs to see this!
Daniel: Clara! Please! I'm begging you! Don't let them put me in prison!
Clara: Enjoy your new home, Daniel. It comes with a full lifetime sentence.
The heavy mahogany exit doors slammed shut behind the federal officers, cutting off the desperate screams of the former groom and his accomplice.