Chapter 6 - Financial AvalancheGarrick’s attorney pulled his client back into his chair, leaning over to whisper frantically in Garrick’s ear.
“Marcus, please,” Garrick stammered, his confident facade crumbling into desperate pleading. “Can we speak in private? Just you, me, and Maya? We can settle this. I’ll agree to a generous spousal settlement! She can have the Dallas house!”
I leaned forward, placing my hands flat on the polished mahogany table, looking directly into the eyes of the man I had once pledged my life to.
“I don't want your house, Garrick,” I said, my voice smooth and unwavering. “I want justice.”
Marcus slid a thick blue binder across the table toward Pendelton.
“What is this?” Pendelton asked cautiously, opening the cover.
“That is a complete forensic accounting audit of the Christian Heritage Foundation,” Marcus announced calmly. “Including wire transfers originating from account number 4092 at Chase Bank—an account under Garrick Vance’s sole signature control.”
Garrick’s face turned ghostly white. He gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned grey.
“Over two point four million dollars has been siphoned from church donation funds over the last thirty-six months,” Marcus continued, detailing every transaction with surgical precision. “Eight hundred thousand went into a high-risk crypto trading platform in Singapore. Six hundred thousand went toward paying off Garrick’s personal margin debts. And five hundred thousand was transferred directly into a offshore account in the Cayman Islands registered under the name 'M. Vance Enterprises.'”
Miriam turned her head sharply toward her son, her jaw dropping. “Garrick... what is he talking about? The foundation funds?”
“Mom, don't listen to him—” Garrick choked out.
“Furthermore,” Marcus pressed on, hitting another key on his laptop, “Mr. Vance attempted to forge my sister’s electronic signature to list her as the primary corporate officer of M. Vance Enterprises. Unfortunately for him, on the date that digital signature was stamped, Maya was under general anesthesia in an operating room with six medical staff witnessing her total incapacity.”
Pendelton closed the binder slowly. He looked at Garrick, then at Miriam, and took a deep breath.
“Mr. Sterling...” Pendelton said, his tone entirely subdued. “Is the Federal Bureau of Investigation involved in this audit yet?”
Marcus smiled—a predatory, terrible smile.
“The IRS Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI Financial Crimes Unit were provided with copies of this entire dossier at eight o'clock this morning,” Marcus revealed. “In approximately four minutes, federal agents will be executing a search warrant on the Christian Heritage Foundation offices in Dallas.”
Miriam let out a strangled shriek, slumping sideways in her chair as if she had been struck by lightning. The high-society world she had built on hypocrisy and stolen money was collapsing around her head in real time.
Garrick buried his face in his hands, trembling uncontrollably. “Maya... please... I’m your husband...”
“You stopped being my husband the moment you left me bleeding on the bathroom floor,” I replied softly.
May you like
The door to the conference room opened, and two federal marshals in dark jackets stepped inside.
“Garrick Vance?” the lead marshal announced. “You are under arrest for federal wire fraud, embezzlement, and corporate identity theft. Stand up and put your hands behind your back.”
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