Chapter 6 - THE ASHFORD EMPIRE’S CRACK
The next morning, Derek Ashford walked into the glass-walled boardroom of Ashford Global Holdings expecting a routine merger presentation. Instead, he found two federal marshals standing beside his executive leather chair. His chief financial officer sat pale and trembling, staring at a sudden freeze order stamped across all corporate accounts.
"Mr. Ashford, you are served with an emergency federal injunction," the lead marshal announced, sliding a thick stack of papers across the polished mahogany table. "All corporate assets, personal accounts, and subsidiary holdings are frozen pending investigation into grand larceny, fraud, and marital asset concealment." Derek’s face drained of color. He slammed his hand onto the table, shouting that there must be some mistake, that he was untouchable. But as he looked down at the court seal, he saw the name signed at the bottom of the injunction: Grace Sterling-Ashford. The pregnant woman he had thrown into the rain had just locked him out of his own vault.
