Chapter 15 - The Zurich Connection
Marcus was escorted directly into Judge Victoria Sterling’s private chambers rather than a public courtroom.
The room was quiet, lit by the warm glow of a desk lamp reflecting off rows of heavy leather-bound legal digests. Victoria sat behind her desk, reviewing a financial ledger that detailed offshore transactions routed through Swiss accounts bearing Marcus Vance’s exact signature.
“Mr. Vance,” Victoria said without looking up, her voice dropping the temperature in the room instantly. “Sit down.”
Marcus swallowed hard, attempting to regain his corporate composure as he lowered himself into the leather armchair opposite her desk. “Your Honor, there has clearly been a procedural error. My financial holdings are entirely separate from Dominic Ward’s domestic operations. I am a foreign investor.”
Victoria slowly closed the ledger and raised her gaze to meet his.
“You are a co-conspirator in an international money laundering ring that funneled thirty-two million dollars of illicit drug revenue through European shell companies,” Victoria stated coldly. She slid a document across the mahogany desk—an extradition warrant signed by the Swiss federal prosecutor three hours earlier.
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“Your bank in Zurich cooperated with our federal investigators yesterday morning,” Victoria continued. “Your accounts are frozen. Your travel documents are revoked. And your claim to Dominic’s assets has been denied with prejudice.”
Marcus stared at the document, the blood draining completely from his face. He had crossed oceans to escape accountability, forgetting that a federal judge with a wiretap warrant has a reach that spans the globe.
