Chapter 7 - Total ExposureThe raid on Sterling Developments was the lead story on the morning news.
Claire watched the live television broadcast from her office kitchen. The cameras captured FBI agents carrying boxes of files out of the glass-and-steel building. David was led out in handcuffs, his face pale, his expensive suit rumpled, and his head bowed to avoid the flashing cameras of the media.
Vanessa was nowhere to be seen. She had packed her bags and left the country two days prior, taking whatever cash she could scrape from their dwindling accounts.
Claire felt no joy in watching his downfall. She only felt a profound sense of closure. She had given him every opportunity to be a good husband and a decent father. Instead, he had chosen greed, vanity, and betrayal.
Later that afternoon, Claire’s lawyer, Rebecca Sloan, called her.
"Claire, you need to see this," Rebecca said, her voice filled with awe. "The DOJ just released the indictment. They are charging David with sixteen counts of wire fraud, grand larceny, and tax evasion. The total liabilities they are seeking to recover are over twelve million dollars."
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"And the settlement?" Claire asked.
"It holds perfectly," Rebecca said, laughing. "Because of the indemnification clause David’s own lawyers drafted, the government cannot touch any of your personal assets or your income. You are completely clean. He took the house, the cars, and the company—and now the government is taking them from him to pay his debts. You walked away with nothing but Noah, and in doing so, you saved your life."
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