Chapter 7 - The Domino Effect
The moment the certified corporate transfer was logged into the state registry, Vanguard Consulting Inc. belonged entirely to me. I was no longer the thirty-eight percent minority owner; I was the sole proprietor.
At 2:00 PM that same day, Mara and I walked into the local branch of First Federal Bank, where the Nevada shell company—Vanguard Consulting Group LLC—held its primary account. Because my father was listed as the registered agent, Adrian thought he was safe.
What Adrian had overlooked in his rush to use my parents' names was the corporate indemnity clause I had written into the original bylaws of Vanguard Inc. six years ago. Under that clause, any secondary entity utilizing an identical trade name or siphoning contracts from the parent firm was legally classified as an alter-ego subsidiary of Vanguard Inc.
As the sole owner of Vanguard Inc., I had the legal authority to claim control over all subsidiary accounts.
I handed the certified court order and the forensic audit trail to the bank manager. "My name is Julianne Vance, Chief Executive Officer of Vanguard Inc. I am here to execute an administrative takeover of the subsidiary account ending in 4492 due to corporate identity theft and unauthorized asset diversion."
The bank manager reviewed the paperwork, his expression turning serious as he saw the corporate fraud certification signed by Judge Higgins. "Everything appears to be in order, Mrs. Vance. The system shows a balance of six hundred and twelve thousand dollars in that account. Would you like to transfer it?"
"Move every single dollar into the primary escrow account of Chen & Associates Legal Trust," I ordered. "And place an immediate administrative lock on any further withdrawal attempts from the debit cards issued to Adrian Vance or Arthur Vance."
By 3:15 PM, the money was gone. Adrian’s shadow empire was completely empty.
Ten minutes later, my phone rang. It was my father. His voice wasn't angry this time; it was frantic, trembling with a terror I had never heard in him before.
"Julianne? Julianne, what did you do?" he stammered. "I just went to use the corporate card at the grocery store and it was declined. I called the automated line... it says the balance is zero. Where is the money? That money was supposed to cover our legal fees for the house default!"
"The money belonged to Vanguard, Dad," I said, sitting in the back of Mara’s town car. "The company you and Adrian stole from. I took it back."
"You can't do this!" he screamed. "That’s my account! My name is on the state registration!"
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"Your name is on a federal tax evasion conspiracy, Dad," I told him, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "You should probably call a defense lawyer. Though, I don't know how you'll pay for one now."
I hung up before he could reply. The first domino had fallen. The rest were about to follow.
