Chapter 6 - The Paper Trail
The ninth floor was buzzing with activity.
Fifteen forensic accountants in dark suits were going through filing cabinets, scanning hard drives, and boxing up financial ledgers in the corner office that used to belong to Landen.
Sitting behind the massive glass desk was Marcus Thorne—the chief audit director for Aegis Healthcare, a man known in corporate circles as 'The Butcher' for his ability to find hidden debt in complex company mergers.
Marcus looked up as I walked in, sliding a pair of reading glasses down his nose.
“Elisa,” Marcus said, gesturing to a stack of red folders on the desk. “It’s worse than we thought.”
I set my briefcase down and took a seat opposite him. “Show me.”
“Landen wasn't just using company funds to pay for Naomi Fields’ luxury apartment,” Marcus explained, pulling out a flow chart. “Over the past eighteen months, he siphoned over $1.8 million out of the company’s primary operations pool into a offshore shell company registered in the Cayman Islands under the name N&L Creative Strategy Ltd.”
I leaned closer, examining the names listed on the offshore incorporation documents.
“N&L,” I murmured. “Naomi and Landen.”
“Precisely,” Marcus nodded. “He was planning to let Bradley Commerce Creative go bankrupt intentionally. He was going to use your $2.4 million rescue wire last night to pay off the immediate secured creditors, strip the remaining assets, file for Chapter 7 liquidation, and walk away to start fresh in Florida with Naomi using the $1.8 million in the Caymans.”
I felt a cold shock run through my stomach—not because I still cared about Landen, but because of the sheer depth of his betrayal.
He hadn't just cheated on me. He hadn't just asked me for money. He had meticulously planned to bankrupt our family, leave me with millions in personal guarantees, take our son, and run away with his mistress on stolen wealth.
“Where is the Cayman account held?” I asked, my voice deadly quiet.
“First Caribbean International Bank,” Marcus replied. “Normally, offshore accounts like that take months of international litigation to freeze.”
I smiled—a dark, knowing smile.
“Normally, yes,” I said, reaching into my handbag and pulling out my encrypted work tablet. “But three years ago, Aegis Healthcare acquired a 30% controlling stake in First Caribbean’s parent logistics network. The managing director of their offshore compliance division happens to be a former colleague of mine.”
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I tapped the screen, opening an encrypted email draft addressed directly to the compliance chief in Grand Cayman.
“Landen thought he was playing chess,” I murmured, hitting Send. “He didn't realize I owned the board.”
