Chapter 4 - The Aftermath in the City
By six o'clock the following morning, the financial world had erupted into complete chaos.
The headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal read: "VANCE TECH COLLAPSES OVERNIGHT: CEO ARRESTED FOR FRAUD AS STERLING HEIRESS REVEALS DECADE-LONG SECRET."
Every major news network was broadcasting footage from the previous night. Photos of Mark Vance being led out of the St. Regis in handcuffs, his hair disheveled and his expression broken, were trending globally. Beside his photo was a picture of Mina Sterling, stepping out of the limousine, radiating power, beauty, and absolute authority.
In a luxury penthouse overlooking the Puget Sound—a property that had been leased under Vance Tech's corporate account—Jessica Thorne sat on the edge of a bare mattress.
The apartment was currently being stripped by federal marshals. Two men in uniform were moving through the living room, packing expensive art, designer clothes, and custom furniture into wooden crates.
"You can't take that!" Jessica shrieked, jumping up as a marshal lifted a custom leather handbag. "That was a gift! That’s mine!"
"Purchased with embezzled corporate funds, Miss Thorne," the marshal replied coldly, not even looking at her as he tagged the bag with a evidence label. "Everything in this apartment purchased within the last six months is subject to civil asset forfeiture. You have two hours to pack your personal, non-luxury belongings in a single suitcase and vacate the premises."
"Where am I supposed to go?!" she sobbed, her mascara running down her face in black streaks. "I don't have any money! My cards are frozen!"
"I suggest a shelter," the marshal said plainly. "Or a hotel that accepts cash. If you have any."
Jessica collapsed onto the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. Her phone, which was currently restricted to receiving emergency calls, buzzed on the floor. She grabbed it frantically, hoping it was Mark's lawyers, or perhaps an old friend willing to help.
It was her landlord.
"Miss Thorne, your lease has been terminated due to breach of conduct and failure of payment. Security will escort you off the property at eight a.m. sharp."
She threw the phone against the wall, shattering the screen. Six hours ago, she was the uncrowned queen of the Seattle tech scene, poised to take over a multi-million dollar company and replace a woman she considered trash. Now, she was penniless, facing criminal charges, and evicted onto the street in the pouring rain.
Meanwhile, at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Seattle, Mark Vance sat in a small, sterile interview room.
He was wearing an orange jumpsuit, his hands cuffed to a metal table. Sitting across from him was Samuel Beck, the most expensive defense attorney in the city—a man Mark had kept on retainer for Vance Tech.
"Samuel! Thank God," Mark blubbered, his eyes red and bloodshot. "You have to get me out of here! Post bail! Call the judge! This is all a huge misunderstanding! Mina... my wife... she’s behind this! She’s using her family's influence to frame me!"
Samuel Beck slowly closed his leather briefcase, looking at Mark with a mixture of pity and utter disbelief.
"Mark," Samuel said, his voice flat. "I'm not here to represent you."
Mark froze. "What? What are you talking about? I pay your retainer!"
"Correction: Vance Tech paid my retainer," Samuel corrected. "And as of three a.m. this morning, the Sterling Legal Group acquired ninety-four percent of Vance Tech's remaining debt and assets. I now work directly for Mina Sterling."
"No... no! You can't do that! That's a conflict of interest!" Mark screamed, slamming his cuffed hands against the table.
"There is no conflict, Mark, because there is no defense," Samuel said, pulling a massive stack of documents from his bag and sliding them across the table. "These are the forensic accounting records provided by Sterling Enterprise. They detail forty-two separate instances of illegal wire transfers, fake invoices, and tax evasion executed by you over the last two years. Furthermore, Miss Sterling has officially revoked the license for the Aegis Protocol. Without that IP, Vance Tech is not only bankrupt; it owes over one hundred and twenty million dollars in breached contracts to international investors."
Mark felt his breath hitch in his throat. "One hundred... and twenty million?"
"Bail has been set at fifteen million dollars, cash only," Samuel added calmly. "Since all your personal and corporate accounts are frozen under the King County Asset Seizure order, you will remain in this facility until your trial."
"Please..." Mark began to weep, leaning his head against the cold metallic table. "Tell Mina I want to see her. Please, Samuel. Just let me talk to her once. I know she still loves me. She stayed with me for four years! She washed my clothes, she took care of me when I was sick! She has a soft heart, Samuel! She’s just angry!"
Samuel stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. He looked down at the broken man with utter contempt.
"Miss Sterling left a message for you, Mark."
Mark looked up desperately, a flicker of hope igniting in his eyes. "What? What did she say?"
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Samuel leaned in close. "She said: 'You told me living with me was like living with a ghost. Now, enjoy living with my memory in a six-by-eight cell.'"
Samuel turned and walked out of the room, the heavy steel door slamming shut behind him, leaving Mark Vance screaming into the cold, empty silence of the prison block.
