Chapter 405
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Chapter 405:
He moved with terrifying, predatory speed, rising to his feet and using his massive body to completely shield Jocelyn, pushing her behind him. His gaze locked onto Aspen, radiating a lethal physical threat that seemed to drop the temperature of the room by ten degrees.
Before Aspen could reach the railing, the bailiffs tackled her.
They slammed her hard onto the polished wooden floor. The heavy steel handcuffs scraped against the floorboards with a violent, screeching sound. Her cheek pressed flat against the cold wood, her blonde hair falling in greasy, tangled sheets over her face.
“I will kill you!” Aspen screamed at the top of her lungs, thrashing wildly against the boots of the officers pinning her down. “I will never let you go! You hear me p>
Jocelyn stepped out from behind Gaston’s broad back.
She looked down at the screaming, writhing woman on the floor.
Her heart did not race. Her palms did not sweat.
She looked at Aspen, and she felt absolutely nothing. The hatred was gone. All that remained was a cold, clinical pity for a woman who had destroyed her own life.
Jocelyn slipped her arm through Gaston’s as they walked out through the heavy revolving glass doors of the Manhattan Supreme Court.
Po𝘱𝗎𝘭𝘢𝗋 ѕ𝗍𝗈𝘳ie𝘀 𝗼n.со𝗺
The crisp October wind immediately whipped the hem of her tailored trench coat around her calves. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the exhaust-choked, dirty, yet incredibly liberating air of New York City. She felt entirely reborn.
They took two steps down the wide marble staircase.
Suddenly, a young man in a cheap, faded grey hoodie darted out from behind a massive stone pillar. His face was pale, his eyes sunken and frantic. He threw his body directly into their path.
It was Cory Schneider.
Aspen’s younger brother looked nothing like the arrogant fraternity boy he used to be. The bankruptcy of the Schneider family and his sister’s incarceration had stripped away every ounce of his privileged shine. He looked starved and desperate.
Gaston’s security detail reacted instantly. Four massive men in dark suits surged forward, forming an impenetrable wall of muscle and Kevlar. They shoved Cory back, holding him exactly three meters from Jocelyn.
Cory’s eyes were bloodshot. He strained against the bodyguards, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“You ruined us!” Cory roared, spittle flying from his lips. “You destroyed my family! You ruined Aspen’s life p>
He thrashed like a rabid animal, his voice cracking with manic rage.
“I have nothing left to lose!” Cory threatened, pointing a shaking finger at Jocelyn. “I swear to God, I will make you pay in blood! You will never sleep safely again p>
Jocelyn stopped on the marble steps. She looked over the broad shoulders of the bodyguards, staring directly at Cory’s red, furious face. Her pulse remained perfectly steady.
She reached out and gently patted Gaston’s tense bicep, silently telling him not to intervene.
She took a half-step forward.
Her expression did not change. Not a single muscle in her face twitched. She regarded him not as a threat, but as an irrelevant ghost.