Chapter 5 - The Financial Trap
The words hit Nathanael like a physical blow. He froze atop Julian Vance, the weight of the man beneath him suddenly feeling insignificant compared to the looming catastrophe at his corporate headquarters.
"What did you say?" Nathanael demanded, his hands gripping the lapels of Julian's jacket with a desperate fury. "What are you talking about?"
Officer Miller limped over, pressing his knee onto Julian’s other arm and clicking a pair of cold steel cuffs around the intruder’s wrists. "Stay down, Vance. You're adding twenty years for escaping custody and assaulting an officer."
Julian laughed recklessly as he was yanked to his feet by the police officer. "It’s too late, Officer. Look at his phone. The notifications have been blowing up for the last ten minutes."
Nathanael scrambled to his feet, fumbling in the pocket of his tailored black tuxedo for his smartphone. His hands shook so violently he almost dropped the device on the stone floor. He swiped the screen open, and a wall of red notification banners assaulted his eyes.
BREAKING: Cross Enterprises Assets Frozen Amid Fraud Investigation.
Federal Agents Raid Downtown Headquarters of Cross Industries.
Board of Directors Calls Emergency Vote to Oust CEO Nathanael Cross.
"No," Nathanael whispered, staring at the screen in utter disbelief. He had spent ten years building Cross Industries into a global logistics powerhouse. Every contract was clean, every transaction meticulously audited. Or so he had thought.
Martha walked slowly down the aisle, her face pale and drawn. She stopped a few feet away from Nathanael, her eyes filled with a deep, sorrowful regret.
"She used your digital signature, Nathanael," Martha said softly, her voice barely carrying over the hum of the cathedral's heating system. "Eleanor had access to your private terminal for over a year. She transferred millions into offshore accounts under my name, but she routed the final approvals through your personal login credentials."
Nathanael turned to Martha, his voice shaking with a mixture of rage and utter devastation. "You knew about this? You knew she was framing me?"
"She threatened Lily," Martha cried out, tears finally spilling over her wrinkled cheeks. "Eleanor knew about Lily's custody documents. She knew you were planning to sign over the majority stake of the estate to Lily when she turned eighteen. Eleanor wanted everything for herself. She said if I spoke a word, she’d make sure Lily ended up in an institution where no one would ever find her."
The maid gently guided Lily away from the unfolding confrontation, shielding the little girl’s ears from the harsh accusations.
Nathanael ran a hand through his hair, staring at the ruined white rose petals on the ground. His wedding day had devolved into a nightmare of abduction, financial ruin, and calculated betrayal. But as he looked at the cold determination in Officer Miller’s eyes, Nathanael realized he couldn't afford to break down.
"We need to get to the downtown office," Nathanael said firmly, squaring his shoulders despite the exhaustion pulling at his bones. "If the federal agents are there, I need to show them the real audit logs."
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Officer Miller shook his head, holding up a hand to pause him. "You can't go down there yet, Mr. Cross. The federal warrant doesn't just cover your office. The agents just executed a search warrant on your primary residence, and they found something hidden inside the basement foundation."
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