Chapter 305 Chapter 305
Chapter 305 Chapter 305
Chapter 305
As the federal officers marched Richard down the hallway toward the holding cell, Agent Miller’s official phone buzzed violently in her palm. She looked down at the encrypted screen, her expression turning sharp as a high-priority alert flashed across the display. She tapped the screen, listened for a few seconds to her field team, and immediately turned back to Ethan.
"Sam Keystone’s private charter flight is preparing to take off from a small airfield outside Monterey," Agent Miller said quickly, motioning for her tactical officers to follow her. "He's trying to flee to South America right now."
Ethan immediately gripped his wooden cane tighter, moving toward the door alongside Agent Miller. Isabelle rushed forward, grabbing his arm with a worried look. "I'm coming with you," Isabelle said firmly, looking back and forth between Ethan and Agent Miller. "I am not staying behind while he tries to escape again."
Ethan stopped, turning to face her and holding her hands gently in his. "Isabelle, please. You need to go home with my mother. You've been through enough these past few days, and I need to know you are completely safe at the estate."
"I can handle it, Ethan," Isabelle insisted, her eyes pleading with him. "I want to be there when it's finally over."
Agent Miller stepped in, placing a reassuring hand on Isabelle's shoulder. "Miss Isabelle, please listen to him. Go home with Mrs. Castellan. My team and I will handle the runway, and I promise you everything is going to be okay. If Sam sees you near the tarmac, it could make him unpredictable. Let us wrap this up cleanly."
After a few tense seconds of persuasion, Isabelle let out a soft breath and nodded slowly. "Fine," she said, squeezing Ethan's fingers one last time. "Just bring him back in one piece. Please."
Ethan gave her a quick nod before turning around to follow Agent Miller down the private elevator toward the underground parking garage.
Three dark SUVs sped out of the corporate garage with their emergency lights flashing, cutting through the morning traffic on the highway leading toward the outer airfield. The black vehicles tore across the perimeter gravel, swerving directly onto the open tarmac just as a small white charter jet was revving its engines near the main hangar. Agent Miller’s driver slammed on the brakes, turning the SUV sideways across the concrete runway to completely block the plane's path, while the other federal units boxed the aircraft in from the sides.
The charter plane’s side door opened, and the metal loading ramp lowered to the ground. Sam Keystone stepped onto the top step carrying a black leather duffel bag, dressed in a plain jacket and dark sunglasses. He froze at the top of the ramp, staring in utter disbelief at the swarm of federal vehicles surrounding his plane.
Ethan pushed the heavy SUV door open, stepping out onto the asphalt. He leaned heavily on his carved wooden cane, standing straight as he looked directly up at the loading ramp.
Sam turned his head, his eyes locking onto Ethan standing on his own two feet in the bright morning sun. The realization hit Sam instantly. All his years of envy, the bribes, the fake suicide, the endless manipulation, and the violence had completely failed. Ethan was alive, his name was clear, and Sam was trapped on an open runway with nowhere left to run.
A look of pure desperation crossed Sam’s face. He reached inside his jacket, his right hand going straight for the handle of a concealed firearm.
"Federal agents! Drop your weapon!" Agent Miller shouted through a megaphone, her officers raising their sidearms in unison.
Before Sam could even clear his holster, two tactical officers sprinted up the metal loading ramp, tackling Sam hard onto the steel platform. The gun clattered out of his hand, bouncing down the steps onto the tarmac below. The officers pinned Sam's arms behind his back, clicking heavy metal handcuffs around his wrists while pulling him roughly back to his feet.
They dragged Sam down the steps onto the hot pavement, bringing him straight past the front bumper of the SUV where Ethan stood waiting. Sam’s face was scraped from the tackle, his hair messy, and his eyes wild with anger as he stared at his childhood friend.
"You think you won, Ethan?" Sam spat bitterly, struggling against the heavy grip of the two officers holding his shoulders. "You think you're better than me? I built half of your life! You wouldn't be anything without me!"
Ethan looked at Sam, his face completely calm and steady as he rested both hands on top of his wooden cane.
"You didn't build my life, Sam," Ethan said softly, his voice clear and grounded as he looked him dead in the eye. "You spent your whole life trying to steal it because you were too coward to build one of your own. It's over now. Enjoy the rest of your life behind bars."
Sam opened his mouth to scream another insult, but the federal officers shoved him into the back of the armored transport van, slamming the heavy steel doors shut with a loud latch.
Agent Miller walked over to Ethan, tapping the side of her SUV door. "It's completely over now, Ethan. Let's get you back home."