Chapter 6
Arthur pressed the phone to his ear, his thumb brushing the cold metal casing as the car hummed steadily along the highway toward Westchester. "Vance," he answered, his voice dropping into its familiar, authoritative boardroom timbre.
"Mr. Vance, forgive the late hour," replied Marcus, his lead corporate counsel, sounding unusually breathless. "I received your message regarding the audit of Julian’s accounts. But... you don't need to wait for the morning report. Something just flagged in our secondary compliance database that requires your immediate eyes."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed, reflecting the amber streetlights flashing past the car window. "Explain, Marcus. What did you find?"
"It’s not just about corporate spending," Marcus said, his voice dropping to a nervous whisper. "When we cross-referenced Julian’s personal foundation payouts with real estate acquisitions in the Hamptons and the Cayman Islands over the past three years, we found a recurring shell company routing funds directly to a private Swiss trust. And the primary beneficiary of that trust isn't Julian."
Arthur felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach. He glanced down at Lily, who stirred slightly in her sleep, clutching the edge of her cream cardigan. "Whose name is on the trust, Marcus?"
"It’s registered under the maiden name of Julian’s late mother-in-law," Marcus paused, letting the weight of the revelation sink in. "More importantly, the shell company was funded by liquidating Vance Global’s emergency reserve assets—the exact capital reserves you authorized for the expansion of our European logistics network back in March."
Arthur’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. Julian hadn't just neglected his daughter to chase high society; he had systematically embezzled millions from the family empire to fund a lifestyle of extravagant deception, hiding assets away from both the company and the courts in the event of a custody battle. Julian had anticipated this fracture long before tonight; he had been preparing his parachute for years, using Lily as leverage and pawn in a sick game of financial chess.
"Get the federal investigators on retainer," Arthur commanded, his voice freezing the air inside the car. "I want every account frozen by sunrise. I want him legally stripped of every asset he holds, down to the clothes on his back."
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"Consider it done, sir," Marcus replied. "There is one more thing. The Swiss trust isn't empty. In fact, it received a massive wire transfer less than six hours ago—originating from Valerie Sterling's personal holding company."
Arthur stared straight ahead into the dark highway, a chilling realization washing over him. Julian wasn't just trying to impress Valerie; he had sold corporate secrets to her family's conglomerate to secure her hand in marriage.
