Chapter 2 - The Paper Trail of BloodGregory’s voice trembled so violently he could barely pronounce the words. "‘...unauthorized transfer of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars from the offshore escrow account of Vanguard Logistics into a private account registered in St. Kitts under the name of Gregory Vance...’"
He looked up at me, sweat pouring down his forehead despite the chill from the air conditioner.
"You stole from your own firm, Gregory," I said, leaning against the marble kitchen island. "You thought you were so clever, sneaking out tiny fractions through shell accounts over the past eighteen months. You thought marrying me would cover your tracks because you assumed I'd be too busy managing our domestic life to ever look at your private portfolio."
"I... I can explain!" he cried out, abandoning all pretense of dominance. "It was an investment! I was going to put it back before the annual audit!"
"The annual audit was scheduled for next month," I interrupted chillingly. "And guess who Vanguard Logistics hired as their external lead forensic auditor last Friday?"
Gregory froze. The realization hit him like a freight train.
"Me," I whispered. "I was handed your file three days before our wedding. I held the evidence of your grand larceny in my hands while I stood at the altar and said 'I do'."
"Why... why did you marry me then?!" Gregory screamed, tears of panic finally spilling over his eyes. "If you knew I was embezzling, why didn't you turn me in?! Why sign the marriage certificate?!"
"Because if I turned you in as a stranger, you'd hire a good lawyer, post bail, and blame it on an IT glitch," I said, taking a step toward him. "But by marrying you without a prenuptial agreement, under state law, your financial liabilities become jointly managed—and your assets become subject to immediate legal freeze under spousal suspicion of felony fraud."
I picked up my phone again. "In precisely forty-eight hours, Vanguard's board of directors will receive the complete audit report. But tonight? Tonight you are going to listen to my rules."
"You're a monster," Gregory wheezed, cowering on the floor.
"No, Gregory. I'm the woman whose dinner you just threw on the floor," I snapped. "Now, pick up every single piece of that porcelain with your bare hands. Clean up every drop of that sauce. And if there is a single speck of grease left on my solid oak table by six in the morning..."
I bent down, grabbing him by his collar and pulling his face inches from mine.
"...I release the footage to your board of directors tonight instead of Thursday. Do we have an understanding?"
Gregory nodded frantically, his eyes filled with pure terror. He dropped to his knees and began picking up the sharp shards, his fingers bleeding as he scrambled across the marble floor.
I stood up, smoothed down my skirt, and walked toward the master bedroom. But just as my hand touched the doorknob, my phone buzzed with a text message from an unknown number.
I opened it.
May you like
“He doesn't know about the second account yet, does he? Don't finish him off too quickly, sister. Save some for me.”
My heart skipped a beat. I turned around to look at Gregory bleeding on the floor, completely oblivious to the fact that the trap he had walked into was far deeper than even I had initially planned.
