Chapter 4 - The Fall of Carter & Associates
By 1:00 p.m., news of the federal lawsuit against Carter & Associates had leaked to the financial press.
I sat comfortably in the executive boardroom on the forty-fifth floor of the Apex Global Tower, sipping decaffeinated tea while looking out over the rain-slicked Chicago skyline. Arthur Vance sat beside me with three senior forensic accountants, going over the freezing orders served on Daniel’s personal and business accounts.
"The court has granted an immediate temporary restraining order on all accounts associated with Carter & Associates," Arthur reported, sliding a tablet across the table. "Daniel's firm cannot clear payroll, pay rent on their office suite, or transfer a single dollar out of the country."
"And Olivia?" I asked.
"Miss Bennett’s employer, First Heritage Capital, suspended her thirty minutes ago pending an internal investigation into corporate espionage and wire fraud," Arthur smiled faintly. "It turns out she used her corporate credentials to clear those illicit transfers for Daniel. She is facing independent criminal charges."
My phone buzzed on the table. Daniel’s name flashed across the screen. He had called twelve times in the last hour.
I picked up the phone and pressed speaker. "Yes, Daniel?"
"Emma! Thank God you picked up!" His voice was frantic, breathless, and on the verge of tears. "Emma, please, you have to stop this! The federal marshals just showed up at my office! They're seizing our servers! My partners are threatening to sue me, and the bank just froze my personal credit cards!"
"I know, Daniel. I authorized the injunction myself," I said calmly.
"Emma, please! Think about our baby!" he pleaded, his voice cracking over the line. "How is it going to look for our child if their father goes to prison?! I made a mistake, okay? Olivia seduced me! She convinced me that you didn't care about my career! She set up those accounts!"
In the background, I could hear Olivia screaming at him: "Don't you dare blame this on me, you pathetic coward! You were the one who wanted the penthouse in Miami!"
I let out a soft sigh. "Daniel, you didn't care about our baby when you tried to leave me with a fifty-thousand-dollar settlement to cover a high-risk pregnancy. You didn't care when you stood outside the courtroom and let Olivia insult me."
"Emma, I was foolish! I love you! I've always loved you!" he wailed. "We can fix this! Cancel the divorce decree—we can annul it! We can be a family again!"
"The divorce is final, Daniel," I said firmly. "And as for the baby... this child will be raised with love, integrity, and the Carter family name. Something you will never be able to touch."
"Emma—"
"Goodbye, Daniel. Save your speeches for the grand jury." I tapped the red button, ending the call, and placed the phone face down on the mahogany table.
Arthur looked at me with deep respect. "What are your instructions regarding his firm's outstanding assets, Miss Carter?"
"Buy out their primary debt from the bank," I instructed coldly. "Acquire Carter & Associates for pennies on the dollar, liquidate their holdings, and rehire the junior architects who had no part in Daniel's schemes. Leave Daniel and Olivia with nothing but their legal bills."
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"Consider it done," Arthur replied.
I leaned back in my chair, touching my swollen stomach. The baby kicked strongly against my palm, as if agreeing with every word. The storm outside was intensifying, but inside the boardroom, I had never felt safer.
