Chapter 3 - Frozen AssetsThe next morning, the glass-and-steel offices of Vance & Associates in downtown Seattle were bustling, but inside the private corner office of Miriam Cole, the atmosphere was dead silent.
I sat in a plush leather chair, a light layer of medical concealer covering the dark, blistering burn on my cheek. Across from me sat Miriam and Marcus Vance, my father's most trusted forensic accountant. On the desk between us lay three thick black binders filled with financial records.
"He was sloppy, Claire," Marcus said, tapping a red pen against a spreadsheet. "Daniel believed that because he had administrative access to your personal design business accounts, he could slowly siphon funds into a secondary account registered under Vanessa's name. Over the last six months, they have stolen approximately eighty-five thousand dollars."
"Is that enough to file criminal charges?" I asked, my voice steady. The pain in my face was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating focus.
"More than enough," Miriam smiled, her eyes sharp. "But we aren't going to file just yet. We want him to squirm. Right now, Daniel is realizing that his personal accounts, his business accounts, and his sister's dummy corporation have all been frozen by court order. He is financially paralyzed."
Right on cue, my phone buzzed on the table. It was an email notification from the security system at the estate. Someone was trying to force entry into my private home office.
I opened the live camera feed on my tablet. Daniel was in the hallway, frantically kicking the heavy oak door of my study. Vanessa stood behind him, screaming obscenities as she tried to pry open the window lock with a butter knife.
"They are desperate," I murmured, watching the screen. "They know the forty-thousand-dollar lease deposit for Vanessa's studio is due by 5:00 PM today."
"Let them scream," Miriam said, closing her binder with a satisfying snap. "By this afternoon, Daniel’s primary investors at his software startup will receive a formal notification that Vance & Associates is calling in the three-million-dollar business loan we granted them last year. Since he defaulted on the interest payments last month, we have the legal right to seize his company's intellectual property."
"He thought I was just a housewife," I whispered, remembering the way he had looked at me as the hot coffee scalded my skin. 'You either obey or you leave.'
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"He forgot who your father was, Claire," Marcus said softly. "Arthur Vance didn't just build a lending empire; he built a fortress to protect you. It’s time to show Daniel what happens when you try to tear that fortress down."
I looked at the live security feed. Daniel had given up on the door and was slumped against the wall, his face buried in his hands. He looked small. He looked defeated. But I felt no pity. The burn on my face was a permanent reminder of what would happen if I ever let my guard down again.
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