Chapter 5 - Unraveling the Web
""Mr. Julian Vance?"" the senior officer asked, unholstering a pair of handcuffs.
Julian shrank back, stumbling against his executive leather chair. ""What is this? This is a civil corporate dispute! You have no jurisdiction here!""
""We’re not here for corporate disputes, Mr. Vance,"" the officer stated. ""A criminal complaint for misdemeanor battery was filed this morning, accompanied by digital video evidence. We also have a warrant to search your personal office.""
Evelyn jumped to her feet, shrieking. ""This is an outrage! My son is an honorable businessman! Clara, tell them to stop this right now!""
Clara didn't even blink. ""Officers, his office is the corner suite on the right. You will find his company laptop and personal storage drives there.""
Julian struggled as the metal cuffs clicked around his wrists. ""Clara! You planned this! You’ve been planning this for years!""
""I planned to love you, Julian,"" Clara said, her voice cutting through his hysteria. ""I planned to build an empire alongside you. But you mistook my humility for weakness. You thought you could degrade me, hit me, and cut off my dying father, all while surviving on my private wealth.""
Julian was led out of the boardroom in full view of his eighty staff members, whose faces were pressed against glass partitions, whispering and recording on their phones.
Evelyn stood frozen in the middle of the room, her tweed jacket suddenly looking faded and cheap. ""Clara... please. Leo has college tuition due next week. The mortgage on my suburban villa is tied to Julian’s executive salary. What are we supposed to do?""
Clara stood up and picked up her briefcase. ""Julian told me not to send another dime to my family. I think it’s only fair that I hold your family to the exact same standard. Leo can get a student loan. And your villa? It goes to auction next month unless Julian finds four million dollars in cash.""
Leaving Evelyn sobbing in the boardroom, Clara took the private elevator down to the garage. Marcus joined her inside the luxury sedan.
""We have an issue, Clara,"" Marcus said, turning to her with a tablet. ""The forensic audit on Julian’s off-the-books accounts just uncovered an offshore shell corporation registered under his brother Leo’s name. It’s been draining five hundred thousand dollars a quarter.""
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Clara leaned forward. ""Where was the money going?""
Marcus zoomed in on a bank transaction log. ""To an industrial shipping container facility in the harbor. And the primary recipient isn't an investor. It's a woman named Vanessa Price.""
