Chapter 4 - Mother of the MonsterThe corporate offices of Vance Enterprises were a mountain of glass and polished steel overlooking Central Park. I walked into the private executive dining room on Thursday afternoon, wearing a tailored navy blue power suit, my hair pulled back into a sharp, professional ponytail.
Judith Vance was already sitting at the corner table, looking like a queen who ruled her empire with an iron fist. She was sixty-five, with sharp, pulled-back blonde hair, a diamond necklace that cost more than a suburban home, and eyes that were completely devoid of warmth.
“Maya, my dear,” Judith smiled, a cold, elegant gesture that didn't reach her eyes. She leaned forward to kiss my cheek, her perfume a suffocating cloud of jasmine. “You look radiant after the honeymoon. I trust my son has been treating you with the luxury you deserve?”
“Ethan has been very... educational, Judith,” I said, sitting down and smoothing my skirt.
“Good,” Judith nodded, taking a delicate sip of her white wine. “The men in our family can be strong-willed, Maya. It takes a specific type of woman to understand her place beside them. My late husband always told me that a successful marriage is like a successful business—everyone must know their role and never step out of line.”
“I completely agree,” I said, pulling a manila envelope from my briefcase and placing it on the white tablecloth between us. “Which is why I think we need to discuss Ethan’s role in the Bali expansion project.”
Judith’s eyes narrowed, her sharp gaze locking onto the envelope. “What is this? Ethan assured me the financial filings were completed last week.”
“They were,” I said softly. “But the files he gave you were altered. These are the original forensic audits from the international transfer bank.”
Judith opened the envelope, her sharp eyes scanning the spreadsheets. As she reached the third page, the color slowly drained from her perfectly made-up face. Her lips pressed into a thin, tight line.
“Four million dollars,” she whispered, her voice shaking with a sudden, dangerous fury. “He routed it through Delaware. Into his own private account.”
“He’s been using your corporate capital to cover his gambling losses, Judith,” I said, leaning forward. “He thought you were too focused on the fifty-million-dollar private equity investment to notice the siphoning.”
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Judith slammed the folder shut, her diamond rings clattering against the porcelain plate. She looked at me, her eyes filled with a terrifying mixture of corporate panic and maternal rage. “Why are you showing this to me, Maya? You’re his wife. This scandal will ruin you too.”
“I’m a financial investigator, Judith,” I said, my voice calm and completely steady. “My assets are locked in a private pre-nuptial trust that your lawyers couldn't touch. This scandal won't touch me. But it will destroy your investment deal. Unless... we remove the liability before the investors find out.”
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