Chapter 6 - THE PUBLIC RECKONING
By 2:00 PM, the international business world had shifted on its axis.
The news broke across every global financial network simultaneously: VANCE SYSTEMS ACQUIRES CROSS TECH ASSETS; AEGIS CORE RESTORED BY ORIGINAL CREATOR SERENA VANCE.
Within minutes of the network restoration, stock markets stabilized. Major enterprise clients who had been screaming for answers hours earlier issued statements declaring full faith in Vance Systems.
I sat in the massive corner office on the 50th floor—the office that, just hours ago, had Nathan’s name on the door. Elena was already directing a team of workers to haul out Nathan's modern art paintings, his Italian leather furniture, and his personal vanity trophies.
"Where should we put his stuff?" Elena asked, holding a cardboard box filled with Nathan's desk accessories.
"Put it in a trash bag and leave it on the sidewalk outside," I replied, typing rapidly on my laptop as I monitored the global server reboot. "He can pick it up on his way out."
Suddenly, my desk phone chimed. It was the front lobby desk.
"Ms. Vance," the receptionist's voice came through, sounding strained. "There is a team of federal agents from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI in the lobby. They have a warrant for corporate financial records related to Nathan Holloway's tenure."
"Send them up," I said immediately. "And give them full access to the secondary financial servers. We have nothing to hide."
Five minutes later, two lead agents in dark suits entered my office. The lead investigator, Agent Miller, held out his badge.
"Ms. Vance? I'm Agent Miller with the Financial Crimes Task Force. We're here regarding the fraud and embezzlement allegations involving Nathan Holloway."
"Welcome, Agent," I stood up and shook his hand firmly. "My legal team has already compiled three years of unredacted transaction logs, offshore wire transfers, and unauthorized credit allocations made by Mr. Holloway. Everything is loaded on this encrypted drive."
I handed him a sleek silver flash drive.
Agent Miller looked surprised by my level of cooperation. "You made our job very easy, Ms. Vance. Most CEOs hire ten lawyers to hide this kind of documentation."
"I'm not most CEOs," I told him calmly. "I'm the person he stole from. I want every illegal penny accounted for."
"Where is Mr. Holloway right now?" the second agent asked.
"He left the building about an hour ago," Elena chimed in. "Last I heard, he was trying to access his private accounts at Chase Bank down the street."
Agent Miller smiled thinly, pulling out his radio. "He won't get far. We froze his personal assets thirty minutes ago under an emergency federal forfeiture order."
Down on Montgomery Street, three blocks away from the corporate tower, Nathan was standing inside the marble lobby of First National Bank.
He thrust his black VIP card toward the bank teller. "What do you mean, account frozen?! I have twelve million dollars in that liquid money market account!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Holloway," the young teller said nervously, looking at her computer screen. "There is a federal administrative hold placed on all accounts associated with your Social Security number. I cannot disburse any funds."
"This is insane! Call the branch manager! Call him now!" Nathan pounded his fist against the counter.
"There's no need to call the manager, Mr. Holloway," a deep voice boomed behind him.
Nathan turned around to see four uniformed federal officers pushing through the glass doors of the bank, led by Agent Miller's team.
"Nathan Holloway," Agent Miller announced, pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. "You are under arrest for securities fraud, wire fraud, grand larceny, and corporate embezzlement."
The bank patrons gasped, pulling out their phones to record the scene.
"No! Wait! You don't understand!" Nathan yelled, backing away until his back hit the counter. "It was Serena! My ex-wife set me up! She manipulated the software! She made me do it!"
"You have the right to remain silent," the officer said, grabbing Nathan's arm and twisting it behind his back with a harsh snap of metal.
"Serena!" Nathan screamed into the crowd of onlookers filming him on their smartphones. "Serena, help me!"
The steel cuffs clicked shut around his wrists.
Across the city, sitting inside her luxurious high-rise apartment, Chloe was frantically packing designer clothes into three giant leather suitcases. She threw in her gold jewelry, her expensive watches, and the green Birkin bag Nathan had given her.
"I need to get to the airport," she muttered hysterically to herself, her mascara running down her face. "I need to take the first flight to Miami..."
Suddenly, her front door was smashed open with a deafening crash.
"FEDERAL AGENTS! DON'T MOVE!"
Four armed agents flooded into her living room, weapons drawn.
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Chloe dropped her suitcase, screaming in terror as she threw her hands into the air.
"The handbag stays, ma'am," an agent said coldly, pointing to the green Birkin bag resting on the bed. "That's evidence in an active federal forfeiture case."
