For two years, Julian and Victoria siphoned forty million dollars from the Mercer trust to subsidize their lavish lifestyles, secure penthouses, and keep Vance Capital artificially afloat.
Once the final liquidity tranche cleared forty-eight hours prior, Julian believed he was untouchable. He assumed Maya was too meek, too focused on her pregnancy, and too isolated to realize what had happened. He planned to divorce her, offer a paltry prenuptial settlement, and retain full control of the stolen forty million.
What Julian had failed to realize was that Evelyn Mercer had spent the last three months executing a silent, federal-grade forensic audit of every transaction passing through Vance Capital.
Chapter 4: The Black Leather Folder
"Julian," Evelyn said softly. Her tone was terrifying in its calmness.
Julian swallowed hard, adjusting his dark tie with a hand that was suddenly no longer steady. "Evelyn... listen. This is a private matter between Maya and me. A marriage breakdown—"
"A marriage breakdown?" Evelyn interrupted, opening the heavy black leather folder she held against her waist. She pulled out a stack of crisp, white legal documents stamped with gold state registry seals.