Chapter 2 - The Audit Begins
By 4:00 PM, I was sitting in the executive conference room of Vance & Associates, located on the top floor of the city's financial district.
Arthur Vance, a gray-haired veteran attorney with thirty years of experience tearing arrogant CEOs apart in court, sat across from me. Beside him was Maya Lin, a sharp young forensic accountant who was already tapping rapidly on her laptop, analyzing financial spreadsheets projected onto a large wall monitor.
"You did remarkably well keeping your composure, Emily," Arthur said softly, pushing a cup of hot chamomile tea toward me. "Most people in your situation would have created a scene at the office, which would have given Daniel’s PR team leverage to paint you as hysterical."
"I don't have time to be hysterical, Arthur," I said, leaning back in the leather chair, my hand briefly brushing the chopped edge of my hair. "Vanessa thought she was taking away my beauty. She didn't realize she was taking away my patience."
Arthur nodded grimly. "Let's review where we stand. The emergency injunction froze the primary escrow account Daniel was using for the Apex Hauling acquisition—a thirty-million-dollar deal that was supposed to close this Friday. Without those funds, the seller will terminate negotiations by midnight tomorrow."
"Good," I said coldly. "What about the paper trail?"
Maya tapped a key, highlighting several bright red rows on the wall monitor.
"Here it is, Mrs. Carter," Maya explained. "Over the past fourteen months, small, recurring payments ranging from $15,000 to $45,000 were transferred from Carter Logistics' secondary operational fund to 'V&B Creative Solutions LLC.' The registered owner of V&B Creative Solutions is Vanessa Brooks."
"Total amount?" I asked.
"One point two million dollars," Maya replied. "And that doesn't include the corporate credit cards used for luxury hotel stays in Paris, London, and Miami under the guise of 'client recruitment.'"
A heavy silence filled the room. Even though I had suspected the affair for months, seeing the cold, hard numbers laid out in black and white felt like a physical blow. Daniel hadn't just cheated on me emotionally and physically; he had systematically looted our joint marital legacy to fund his mistress’s champagne lifestyle while telling me the company was going through a "tight cash-flow phase."
The heavy mahogany door of the conference room clicked open. Arthur’s junior associate stepped in, looking tense.
"Arthur, Daniel Carter’s lead legal counsel, Richard Sterling, is on line one," the associate reported. "He’s demanding an emergency meeting tonight to negotiate an unfreezing of the escrow account before the Apex deadline."
Arthur looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "What are your orders, Emily? We hold all the cards right now. If we refuse to unfreeze that account, Daniel loses the Apex deal, his board of directors will hold a vote of no confidence on Monday, and his reputation in the logistics sector will be destroyed."
I stared at the red lines on the screen—the $1.2 million stolen from our life together.
"Tell Richard Sterling we will meet them at 8:00 PM tonight," I said, standing up and adjusting my jacket. "On one condition."
May you like
"Which is?" Arthur asked.
"Daniel and Vanessa must both attend in person," I replied, my eyes burning with quiet, unyielding fury. "And Vanessa will bring those fabric shears with her."
