Chapter 4 - The Asset SeizureWithin twenty-four hours of the cathedral arrest, the fall of Ethan Harper was the lead story on every news network across the nation.
William’s legal team launched an immediate, scorched-earth campaign. Under federal asset-seizure laws for attempted murder and insurance fraud, every account, property, and business tied to Ethan and Vanessa was frozen.
I sat in the penthouse suite of the Carter Estate in Manhattan, wearing a soft cream cashmere sweater, resting on a plush sofa. The scars on my face were healing under expert medical care, and my doctor assured me that my baby boy was healthy and ready to arrive within the week.
William sat across from me, reviewing a stack of legal documents with his chief legal advisor, Arthur Pendelton.
"Ethan’s firm, Harper Enterprises, was built almost entirely on embezzled funds from your private trust, Emily," Arthur explained, sliding a financial ledger across the table. "He used your mother’s estate as collateral for three separate bank loans totaling eighteen million dollars."
"Can we reclaim it?" I asked quietly.
William smiled—a cold, fierce smile. "It's already done. As of nine o'clock this morning, Vanguard Holdings—my private subsidiary—purchased the note on Harper Enterprises. I am now Ethan's sole creditor."
"What about Vanessa?" I inquired.
"Vanessa’s PR firm was a money-laundering front," Arthur chimed in. "The IRS filed forty-two counts of tax evasion against her this morning. She’s looking at fifteen years in a federal penitentiary."
A gentle knock sounded at the door. My personal security guard, Marco, stepped inside.
"Miss Emily," Marco said respectfully. "Ethan's mother, Eleanor Harper, is downstairs in the lobby. She is demanding to see you."
I looked at William. He immediately stood up, his face darkening. "Send her away."
"No, Dad," I said softly, touching his arm. "Let her come up. It's time Eleanor learned the truth about her son."
Five minutes later, Eleanor Harper stepped into the penthouse suite.
She had always been a cold, status-obsessed woman who treated me like an unwanted intruder in her son's 'aristocratic' family. Today, she wore a disheveled designer coat, her hair unstyled, her face pale with desperation.
"Emily!" Eleanor cried out, rushing toward the sofa before Marco blocked her path. "Emily, you have to stop this nightmare! Ethan made a mistake! He was under so much stress with the company! You can't let him rot in prison!"
I looked at my mother-in-law, my expression entirely unreadable.
"A mistake, Eleanor?" I asked softly. "He shoved his nine-month-pregnant wife off a cliff in a blizzard. He left me to freeze to death so he could collect fifty million dollars. That wasn't a mistake. That was murder."
"He was confused!" Eleanor wept, dropping to her knees on the Persian rug. "That woman... Vanessa... she seduced him! She tricked him! Please, Emily! Think of your baby! He needs a father!"
I stood up slowly, holding my stomach, looking down at her with absolute pity.
"My son has a family, Eleanor," I said, looking over at William, who walked up to stand beside me. "He has a grandfather who saved his life. And he will never, ever know the name Harper."
William stepped forward, pulling an eviction notice from his coat.
"This is an emergency lien on your townhouse in Greenwich, Eleanor," William said coldly. "Ethan used the property as secondary collateral for his fraudulent loans. You have twenty-four hours to vacate the premises."
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Eleanor stared at the paper, her jaw working silently as the total destruction of her family's social standing finally sank in. She collapsed into silent, pathetic tears on the floor.
"Escort her out, Marco," I said softly, turning my back on her.
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