Chapter 7
The heavy glass door of the conference room swung open slowly, breaking the oppressive silence. All eyes turned toward the entrance as a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and a sharp, nervous expression stepped inside. She wore a simple navy blue trench coat, and her hands were shoved deep into her pockets, clutching something heavy and rectangular.
Julian’s face drained of every last trace of color. He stood up abruptly, knocking his chair backward onto the carpet with a dull thud. "Chloe? What the hell are you doing here?"
The young woman—Chloe—refused to look at him, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on Agent Miller. "I’m here because I’m done covering for him," she said, her voice shaking slightly but carrying a ring of absolute resolve. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and placed a small, silver external hard drive squarely in the center of the mahogany table. "Everything Julian transferred from Vance Industries, along with the digital keystroke logs proving he forged Valeria's signature without her knowledge, is stored right on this drive."
Valeria stared at Chloe, her mind struggling to connect the pieces. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice a hollow rasp.
Chloe swallowed hard, finally turning her gaze toward Valeria with an expression of deep, agonizing remorse. "I’m Julian's executive assistant at the consulting firm. For the past eight months, I was the one who processed the paper trails, booked his offshore travel, and helped him draft the fraudulent divorce settlement agreements. He told me you were fully aware of the corporate restructuring, Valeria. He swore to me that you were getting your fair share of a legitimate corporate buyout."
Julian lunged forward around the table, his face twisted in rage. "You lying little bitch! I pay your salary! You don't have the right to—"
Before Julian could take another step, two federal security guards moved with swift precision, intercepting him and pinning his arms firmly behind his back, forcing him down into his chair.
"Mr. Vance, stay seated," Agent Miller commanded sharply, her hand resting on her holster. "Another outburst like that and you will be placed under immediate physical arrest for witness intimidation."
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Chloe didn't flinch as Julian glared daggers at her. She reached into her trench coat pocket once more and pulled out a folded manila envelope, sliding it across the table toward Valeria. "He planned the divorce six months in advance, Valeria. Not because your marriage was failing, but because his internal audit was closing in, and he needed a legal vehicle to siphon four million dollars into an account that the federal regulators couldn't touch during a standard marital asset split."
Valeria slowly opened the envelope. Inside were printed copies of encrypted text messages between Julian and an offshore broker, detailing the exact timeline of the asset concealment strategy.
