Chapter 2 - THE PAPERWORK OF REVENGE
The sound of the locksmith’s power drill echoed through the dark mansion like a tactical strike.
By 8:30 PM, the front iron gates had been locked with heavy steel chains, the security codes had been wiped and reprogrammed, and the moving van Ethan had desperately tried to call was turned away at the perimeter fence by my private guards.
Victoria had left screaming, dragging a single suitcase down the stone driveway in her high heels, swearing vengeance and threatening lawsuits that Sophia simply filed away into a folder labeled Baseless Counterclaims. Natalie had wept bitterly, forced to leave behind the thousands of dollars worth of luxury designer bags she had stored in my guest suite closet.
And Ethan... Ethan had been escorted out in handcuffs after attempting to snatch my father’s vintage gold watch off the dresser in the master bedroom. He was currently sitting in a holding cell at the 4th Precinct, facing charges of felony domestic battery, grand larceny, and witness intimidation.
I sat at my mahogany desk in the second-floor study, the warm glow of a brass desk lamp illuminating the stacks of financial ledgers laid out before me.
Sophia Sterling sat across from me, sipping black coffee from a porcelain cup, her tablet humming as she cross-referenced bank transfers.
"The frozen transaction was just the tip of the iceberg, Eleanor," Sophia said, tapping the screen with a manicured fingernail. "Over the past twenty-four months, Ethan didn't just transfer eighty thousand dollars to his sister’s boutique. He systematically siphoned off small amounts—ten thousand here, fifteen thousand there—from the joint household operating fund."
I held my broken arm gently against my stomach, feeling the slow, deep throb of the bone healing under the cast. "Where did it go?"
"A shell company registered in Delaware under the name Vance Capital Holdings," Sophia replied, sliding a financial diagram across the desk toward me. "He was building a quiet nest egg. He intended to buy a commercial property downtown in his mother’s name, clear the title, and then file for divorce in a non-fault jurisdiction, claiming the funds were earned income from his corporate salary."
I stared at the paper. A cold, quiet chuckle escaped my lips.
"He really thought he was smarter than me," I whispered. "Twelve years I spent unwinding international corporate fraud for the federal reserve bank, and he thought he could hide a Delaware shell company in my own house."
"Arrogance is a terrible financial advisor," Sophia agreed warmly. "So, what is our next move? The restraining order is locked in for ninety days. The eviction is complete. We can file for an expedited divorce under the domestic cruelty clause tomorrow morning."
I looked out the high arched window of my study. The rain was beginning to fall heavily, splashing against the glass, washing away the tire tracks left by Ethan’s car in the driveway.
"No," I said, turning back to Sophia. "A quiet divorce is what he expects. He thinks he’ll spend a night in jail, hire a cheap defense lawyer, plead down to a misdemeanor with probation, and then try to sue me for spousal support to maintain his lifestyle."
"He will certainly try," Sophia nodded. "His mother is already calling every tabloid in the city claiming you abused him."
"Let them call," I said, my voice hardening into forged steel. "Tomorrow morning, I want you to initiate a full corporate audit of Vance Capital Holdings. I want every bank account, every credit line, and every business partner connected to Ethan, Victoria, and Natalie subpoenaed."
May you like
I leaned forward, my left hand resting flat on the mahogany desk.
"He broke my arm because I stopped him from taking eighty thousand dollars," I whispered. "By the time I'm finished with him, Ethan Vance won't have enough money to buy a loaf of bread."
