Chapter 4 - The War in the Office
Forty-eight hours after being served with divorce papers, Adrian Vale sat in his corner office on the twelfth floor of Vale & Mercer Architecture, staring out the window at the Chicago skyline.
His hair was uncombed, his dark suit rumpled, and his eyes bloodshot. A half-empty glass of bourbon sat on his oak desk alongside three missed call notifications from his bank.
The door to his office slammed open.
Lena Hart marched inside, wearing an expensive leather trench coat, her face twisted in panic.
“Adrian! My credit card was declined at the boutique this morning!” she demanded, slamming her designer bag onto his desk. “And my landlord called—he said the rental check for my apartment bounced! What the hell is going on?!”
Adrian didn't look at her. He took a slow sip of his bourbon. “Vivian froze the primary operating accounts.”
Lena gasped. “She can’t do that! That’s joint money!”
“It was joint money,” Adrian said bitterly, finally turning his head to glare at her. “Until her lawyer filed an emergency injunction claiming unauthorized corporate dissipation. Every card I have is dead, Lena. My corporate expense account is locked. I couldn't even buy a cup of coffee this morning.”
“Then call your lawyer!” Lena yelled, pacing across the polished floor. “Sue her! Take half the house! Take half her trust money!”
“I can’t take the house, Lena!” Adrian roared, slamming his glass onto the desk, sending bourbon splashing over his paperwork. “The house belongs to her grandfather’s trust! My name isn't on the deed! I signed a pre-nup four years ago!”
Lena stopped pacing, her eyes widening in disbelief. “You signed a pre-nup? Are you an idiot, Adrian?! You told me you owned that estate! You told me you were worth millions!”
“I thought I was!” Adrian spat back, rubbing his throbbing temples. “I brought her into this firm! I made her a partner! I built this company!”
At that exact moment, the heavy double doors of the office suite clicked open.
Two men in dark grey suits walked into the reception area, followed by Arthur Vance and two uniformed officers from the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.
Adrian’s secretary knocked frantically on his office door before opening it. “Mr. Vale... there are people here from the Mercer Family Trust.”
Arthur Vance stepped past the secretary, holding a thick leather folder under his arm. His face was completely devoid of emotion.
“Good morning, Mr. Vale. Miss Hart,” Arthur said politely.
“What is the meaning of this, Vance?” Adrian demanded, standing up behind his desk, trying to muster his former authority. “This is a private architecture firm! You can’t just walk in here with police officers!”
“Actually, I can,” Arthur replied smoothly, motioning for one of his assistants to set a portable scanner on the conference table. “As you know, sixty percent of Vale & Mercer Architecture was capitalized using funds directly provided by the Mercer Trust. Under Section 4B of your partnership agreement, any partner facing criminal investigation for financial fraud is subject to immediate suspension of voting rights and physical access to corporate property.”
Adrian felt all the blood drain from his face. “Fraud? What the hell are you talking about?!”
Arthur opened his folder, pulling out several glowing color charts and bank statements.
“Our forensic accounting team completed their preliminary review three hours ago, Adrian,” Arthur said, his voice echoing through the silent office. “Over the past eighteen months, you have embezzled approximately four hundred and twenty thousand dollars from Mercer Trust capital accounts.”
Lena took two steps backward, away from Adrian.
“You forged your wife’s signature on three separate loan guarantees,” Arthur continued remorselessly. “You funneled corporate funds into personal offshore accounts, and you used company funds to pay the lease, utilities, and credit card bills of Miss Lena Hart.”
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The sheriff’s deputy stepped forward, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt.
“Adrian Vale,” the deputy stated calmly, “you are under arrest for grand larceny, forgery, and corporate fraud.”
