Chapter 5 - The Confrontation in Atlanta
Forty-eight hours later, accompanied by Barnaby and our lead private investigator, an ex-FBI agent named Miller, I stepped out of a black town car in front of a high-end glass office tower in Midtown Atlanta.
The autumn sun was shining brightly, reflecting off the sleek skyscrapers, but inside me, there was only a focused, lethal calm.
We rode the elevator up to the 14th floor—the corporate offices of Avery & Associates Interior Architecture.
When we stepped through the glass doors, the receptionist offered us a polite smile. “Welcome to Avery & Associates. How may I help you today?”
“We’re here to see Victoria Sterling,” Miller said smoothly, displaying a formal legal process document stamped by the Fulton County Superior Court. “We don't need an appointment.”
The receptionist looked at the legal document, her eyes widening, and quickly pressed a button on her intercom. “Victoria... there are some gentlemen here from North Carolina. They say it’s urgent.”
Five seconds later, a door at the end of the frosted-glass hallway opened.
Victoria Sterling stepped out, wearing a cream-colored silk blouse and tailored trousers—clothing I recognized instantly because it was the exact brand and style I used to buy for my senior staff as annual bonuses.
She looked confident, radiant, and completely unbothered.
Until her eyes landed on me.
Victoria froze in her tracks, the color draining from her cheeks so quickly it looked as though she might faint onto the polished hardwood floor.
“Delilah?” she stammered, her voice squeaking. “What... what are you doing here?”
I walked slowly down the hallway toward her, my heels clicking softly against the floor. I stopped three feet away, taking in every detail of the woman who had helped my husband rob me while pretending to be my friend.
“Hello, Victoria,” I said smoothly. “You’re looking remarkably well for someone whose mother was supposed to be gravely ill in Atlanta eighteen months ago.”
Victoria swallowed hard, glancing nervously at the legal process server standing behind me. “Delilah... I don't know what you think you’re doing here, but this is a professional place of business. If you’re here about Grantham—”
“I’m not here about Grantham, Victoria,” I interrupted, stepping closer. “Grantham is currently facing federal indictment for bank fraud and grand larceny in Raleigh. I’m here about you.”
Victoria’s jaw dropped. “Federal indictment?”
Miller stepped forward, handing a thick white envelope directly into Victoria’s trembling hands.
“Victoria Sterling,” Miller announced loudly enough for the entire open-plan office behind her to hear, “you are officially served with a civil summons and criminal subpoena regarding your involvement in the embezzlement of four hundred and thirty thousand dollars from Vance Design Group LLC and the illegal transfer of funds into offshore accounts.”
Several of Victoria’s new coworkers poked their heads out of their cubicles, staring in utter shock.
“This is a mistake!” Victoria panicked, clutching the folder against her chest. “I didn't steal anything! Grantham gave me that money! He told me it was his share of the business profits!”
“Grantham didn't own a single share of Vance Design Group, Victoria,” I said, my voice dripping with icy contempt. “You worked for me for five years. You knew the corporate structure better than anyone. You knew every penny came from my accounts.”
Victoria looked around at her staring colleagues, her face burning with deep, burning humiliation.
“Delilah, please,” Victoria whispered desperately, tears welling in her eyes. “Can we talk about this in private? I’ll give the money back! I’ll sell the condo! Just don't do this here!”
I looked at her—this woman who had sat in my home, held my children, eaten my food, and secretly plotted with my husband to strip me of everything I owned.
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“You didn't show me any mercy when you were stealing from my children’s future, Victoria,” I said quietly. “Why on earth would I show you any now?”
I turned on my heel and walked toward the glass doors, leaving Victoria Sterling weeping hysterically in the middle of her corporate office as her boss stepped out to ask why the federal authorities were involved in her employment status.
