Chapter 4 - The Dominoes Fall
Within three hours of the gala's abrupt collapse, the news had spread across every major financial news outlet in the country. The headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal read: STERLING DEVELOPMENT IPO HALTED MID-GALA AMID FEDERAL FRAUD PROBE.
Sitting in Eleanor’s office early the next morning, I watched the television screen as news anchors analyzed Julian’s downfall.
"Vanderbilt & Croft announced at 2:00 AM that they have officially withdrawn as the primary underwriting bank for Sterling Development," the reporter stated, standing outside the federal courthouse. "This sudden move has triggered automatic default clauses on over two hundred and fifty million dollars in commercial loans, throwing the company's flagship real estate projects into immediate foreclosure."
Eleanor entered the room, placing a fresh stack of legal documents on the table.
"Julian’s legal team tried to file an emergency motion to unfreeze his primary operating accounts this morning," she said, leaning against the edge of the desk. "The judge denied it without prejudice. The evidence provided by your forensic audit was too comprehensive. The judge agreed that there is a severe risk of asset flight."
"Has Victoria been interviewed by the federal agents yet?" I asked, keeping my eyes fixed on the television screen.
"They served her with an indictment at her apartment at six o'clock this morning," Eleanor replied with a grim satisfaction. "She was charged as a co-conspirator in the wire fraud scheme. They also served her with a civil lawsuit for perjury and malicious prosecution regarding her false testimony in your criminal trial."
"How did she react?"
"According to the federal marshals, she burst into tears and immediately blamed Julian," Eleanor said. "She offered to cooperate with the prosecution in exchange for a plea deal before she was even placed in the back of the transport vehicle. She's terrified of serving actual prison time."
I nodded slowly. I knew Victoria. Her loyalty to Julian was entirely dependent on his wealth and status. The moment those vanished, her self-preservation instincts would kick in, exactly as Julian's had when he chose to sacrifice me to save himself.
"And Julian?"
"He's currently holed up in his penthouse, refusing to answer calls from his board of directors," Eleanor said. "His lead defense attorney resigned an hour ago after reviewing the offshore banking records you provided. No reputable firm wants to touch a high-profile fraud case where the paper trail is this clean."
"He'll call me," I said quietly.
Eleanor looked at me, her expression turning cautious. "Do you think he will?"
"Julian is a narcissist," I explained, turning to look at her. "When a narcissist loses control, they don't accept that they've been outsmarted. They believe there has been a misunderstanding, or that they can still manipulate the person who defeated them. He spent two years believing I was helpless. He won't be able to process the reality until he hears it from me."
Right on cue, Eleanor's private, unlisted desk phone began to ring.
We both looked at the glowing display. The caller ID read: UNKNOWN CALLER.
Eleanor picked up the receiver, pressed the speakerphone button, and kept her voice completely neutral. "Eleanor Thorne."
"I know she's with you," Julian's voice came through the speaker. He sounded exhausted, breathless, and sharp, entirely stripped of his smooth, suave demeanor. "Put Genevieve on the phone, Eleanor. Now."
Eleanor looked at me. I gestured for her to hand me the receiver.
"I'm here, Julian," I said, my voice steady, quiet, and cold.
There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line. I could hear his ragged breathing, the muffled sound of sirens passing by his penthouse in the background.
"Why, Genevieve?" he finally demanded, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and desperation. "You destroyed everything. Ten years of work! My reputation, my company, my life—all of it, gone in a single night!"
"You asked me that same question two years ago through the visitor's glass at the county jail, Julian," I reminded him softly. "Do you remember what I asked you?"
"Genevieve, listen to me," he cut in, ignoring my question, his tone shifting rapidly into an urgent, manipulative plea. "We can fix this. We are still legally married! The equity in Apex Holdings can be restructured. I can give you fifty percent—no, sixty percent of everything! We can tell the federal prosecutors that it was all an accounting error, a misunderstanding between spouses. Victoria lied to both of us! She was the one who managed those offshore transfers, not me!"
I listened to him throw his mistress under the bus without a second thought. It was almost pathetic how predictable he was.
"You said no one likes a proud woman in a cage, Julian," I quoted his exact words back to him, letting every syllable sink in. "You told me I would learn humility inside. But prison doesn't break people who know the truth. It just gives them time to plan."
"Genevieve, please—"
"I didn't destroy your company, Julian," I said, cutting him off with absolute finality. "Your own greed did that. I simply read the numbers you left behind."
"If I go down, you get nothing!" he screamed into the receiver, his composure completely shattering. "Do you hear me? Nothing! Your family's trust is gone! I hid it so deep you'll never find a single dollar!"
"I don't need the money, Julian," I said, holding the receiver close to my mouth. "I spent two years with nothing. I learned how to survive without it. Can you?"
Before he could answer, I pressed the button and ended the call.
May you like
I handed the receiver back to Eleanor, stood up from the desk, and looked out at the morning sun finally breaking through the grey clouds over the city.
"Call Assistant U.S. Attorney Vance," I told Eleanor quietly. "Tell him I'm ready to testify before the federal grand jury."
