Chapter 7 - The Accounting
By one o'clock that afternoon, the Vance estate was silent once more.
The federal vans had gone. The yellow police tape that had briefly covered the front porch had been removed by my private security team.
I sat in the formal dining room, wearing a soft gray cashmere sweater and dark trousers, an ice pack resting against my left eye.
Across the long mahogany table sat Marcus Sterling and my primary corporate counsel, David Chen.
"The federal court executed a freeze on every account associated with Apex Global and Sterling Maritime at ten-thirty this morning," David reported, sliding a tablet across the table to me. "Vanessa's primary shell company in the Cayman Islands has been impounded by federal receivers. Over forty-two million dollars in misappropriated funds have been recovered and returned to the Vance Logistics operating account."
"And the board meeting?" I asked, taking a sip of warm chamomile tea.
"The board met at noon," Marcus Sterling said, offering a warm, approving smile. "Without Vanessa's artificial debt claims hanging over the company, the board voted unanimously to affirm your full, unencumbered status as Chief Executive Officer and Chairwoman."
I nodded slowly, letting the relief wash through my chest. The pain in my ribs was still sharp, but the white-hot rage that had sustained me for four months was beginning to cool into something clear, permanent, and solid.
"What about Julian's legal representation?" I asked David.
"He tried to hire three different top-tier defense firms in Manhattan this morning," David chuckled dryly. "All three declined to represent him after reviewing the 4K video footage uploaded from your bedroom camera. His private bank accounts have been frozen under the spousal dissipation clause, meaning he doesn't have the funds to pay a public defender's retainer, let alone a high-priced criminal attorney."
"And Beatrice?"
"Beatrice is currently held without bail at the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers Island," David added. "Her legal team applied for emergency bail on medical grounds, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Lin presented the court with the audio recording of her encouraging Julian to break your wrist last night. The judge deemed her a flight risk and a danger to the community."
I set my teacup down, looking around the grand dining room.
The house was clean. The synthetic jasmine perfume Vanessa had brought into the halls had been scrubbed away by the commercial cleaning crew I had hired that morning. The drawers where Beatrice had hidden my mother's porcelain had been opened, and the plates were back in their rightful velvet-lined display cases.
"David," I said quietly.
"Yes, Clara?"
"File the divorce petition this afternoon."
"Under what grounds?"
May you like
"Cruelty, fraud, and physical destruction of marital assets," I stated calmly. "And instruct the estate managers that every piece of clothing, every shoe, and every watch Julian left in this house is to be packed into plastic trash bags and delivered to the city dump."
"It will be done by four o'clock," David promised.
