Chapter 5 - The Web Unravels
Over the next three months, the battle grew fierce.
Working sixteen hours a day at Vance Global, I used my insider knowledge of Sterling Financial’s risk weaknesses to systematically target their top clients. One by one, major institutional investors pulled their funds from Sterling and transferred them to my team at Vance Global.
Without my algorithms maintaining their portfolios, Ethan began making catastrophic trading errors. To cover the losses, Olivia authorized high-risk offshore investments, digging their hole deeper.
One evening, while auditing Sterling’s historical tax filings, I stumbled upon a hidden ledger—a secondary holding company based in the Cayman Islands named Lumina Capital.
My eyes narrowed as I traced the wire transfers.
"Marcus," I called out, bringing my laptop into his office. "Look at this."
Marcus scanned the numbers, his eyebrows rising. "Embezzlement? Tax fraud?"
"Worse," I pointed to the signature authorizing the illegal fund transfers over the last five years. "Olivia Sterling hasn't just been losing money. She's been stealing from her own shareholders to maintain her luxurious lifestyle. Sterling Financial is a house of cards."
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"If this goes public," Marcus said, a slow smile spreading across his face, "it won't just be bankruptcy. It will be federal prison."
"Not yet," I said softly. "I want to deliver this blow in person."
