Chapter 5 - The Frozen Assets
The words glowing on my phone screen felt like a physical blow to my chest. Accounts frozen. The realization that Owen and Evelyn had not only targeted me personally, but had also managed to infiltrate my father’s professional lifeline, sent a wave of absolute vertigo washing over me.
"Surprised?" Evelyn asked, her lips curling into a triumphant smile as she watched the color drain entirely from my face. "You and your arrogant father always assumed you were the smartest people in any room. You thought a fancy education and a silver spoon made you untouchable. But you forgot one fundamental rule of the game, Clara: the house always wins."
"You hacked my father's firm," I whispered, the sheer audacity of their scheme finally settling into my brain like heavy lead. "That's federal wire fraud. You're going to spend the rest of your lives behind bars."
Owen stepped closer, towering over me in his custom tuxedo, the man I had loved for two years suddenly appearing as a complete stranger—cold, calculating, and utterly devoid of human empathy. He reached out, his fingers brushing against my hand, but instead of offering comfort, he reached down with frightening speed and ripped the diamond engagement ring right off my finger.
I let out a sharp gasp of protest, but he simply held the sparkling stone up to the overhead chandelier, admiring the way the light refracted through the flawless cut.
"This isn't fraud, Clara; it's a corporate restructuring," Owen corrected smoothly, slipping the expensive ring into his vest pocket without a second glance. "And as for the police? By the time they figure out jurisdiction, the assets will have been laundered through three shell corporations in the Cayman Islands, and this entire hotel suite will be registered under my mother's maiden name."
Through the phone still pressed tightly to my ear, I heard the faint, muffled sound of my father shouting frantic instructions to someone on his end of the line.
"Clara! Clara, talk to me!" my father’s voice boomed through the speaker, strained and desperate. "Marcus and I just pulled up to the valet. We're running through the lobby right now. Hold on, baby, we're coming up!"
Evelyn’s sharp ears caught the faint sound leaking from the phone speaker. Her eyes narrowed into cold slits, and she snapped her gaze toward Owen.
"They're downstairs," Evelyn hissed, her casual composure instantly fracturing into panic. "Owen, grab her phone. We need to leave through the service elevator right now before Arthur gets up here."
Owen lunged forward, his hand reaching out to snatch the phone from my ear. But survival instinct kicked in with the force of a tidal wave. I swung my heavy beaded purse backward with all my might, catching Owen square across the jaw with a satisfying crack of leather and hidden pearls.
He staggered back, swearing loudly and clutching his cheek. I didn't hesitate for a single second. I bolted past Evelyn, slamming my shoulder into her arm as I sprinted toward the open bathroom door, locking myself inside just as Owen slammed his fists against the wood with a deafening crash.
"Open the door, you little bitch!" Owen roared from the bedroom, the sound of splintering wood echoing through the small bathroom as he threw his full weight against the frame.
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I pressed my back against the tiled wall, my chest heaving, and screamed into the phone with every ounce of air I had left in my lungs: "Dad! Hurry! They're breaking the door down!"
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