Chapter 2 - The Audit from HellNathan’s knees completely gave out, and he slid down the polished marble floor until he was sitting in a pathetic heap. The sheer weight of the revelation seemed to crush whatever arrogant delusions had sustained him throughout his life.
"No... no, that's a lie," Nathan muttered, shaking his head frantically as he stared up at my father. "Ashford Global is publicly traded! We have shareholders! We have a board of directors!"
My father didn't bother answering him with words. He simply gestured to one of the tactical operatives, who stepped forward and tossed a heavy, secure leather briefcase onto the mahogany table. It popped open with a double hiss of vacuum-sealed air, spilling out hundreds of crisp, pristine financial documents, glowing tablet screens, and legal binders.
"Look at the data, Nathan," my father said calmly, walking over to the table and picking up a single tablet. "You always fancied yourself a brilliant strategist. You thought you outsmarted the market when you acquired Vanguard Shipping last year. But you never checked who owned the debt."
Nathan stared at the glowing screen. His eyes widened in absolute horror.
"The... the debt was held by Meridian Holdings..." Nathan stammered, his voice trailing off as a terrible realization hit him. "Meridian... Meridian is..."
"A wholly owned subsidiary of my private portfolio," my father finished for him, his tone ice-cold. "We engineered the acquisition, Nathan. We let you take the credit, we let you inflate your ego, and more importantly, we watched you funnel nearly forty million dollars of corporate assets into offshore accounts controlled by your little mistress here."
Celeste gasped, her face draining of all color as she suddenly realized she was no longer an amused spectator, but a primary target. She scrambled off her armchair, her high heels clicking frantically against the floor as she tried to sprint toward the grand staircase.
She didn't even make it two steps.
An operative materialized in front of her, moving with lightning speed. He didn't strike her; he simply extended a heavy hand, grabbed her by the shoulder, and spun her around, forcing her down onto her knees beside Nathan.
"Let me go!" Celeste shrieked, thrashing against the operative's iron grip. "You can't do this! I am a citizen! I have rights! Nathan, do something!"
Nathan looked at her, his expression entirely vacant. He had nothing left. The CEO of Ashford Global Logistics was gone; left in his place was a hollow, terrified shell of a man realizing he was trapped inside a cage built by a ghost he never knew existed.
"Rights?" My father turned his cold gaze toward Celeste. "You spent six months poisoning a marriage, stealing corporate capital, and orchestrating physical abuse against my only daughter under the assumption that she was entirely unprotected. Let's talk about rights, Miss Monroe."
My father walked slowly toward them, his leather shoes clicking rhythmically against the floor.
"Do you know what happens when you embezzle funds from an international logistics firm that secretly operates as a logistical front for defense intelligence?" My father asked softly.
Celeste shook her head rapidly, tears streaming down her carefully made-up face, ruining her foundation. "I... I didn't know... Nathan told me she was nobody! He said she had no family!"
"And you believed him," my father replied. "Greed has a way of making people stupid. But stupidity is not a legal defense."
My father looked down at me, his expression softening immediately as he walked over and crouched by my side. He pulled a heavy, warm wool coat from one of the operatives and draped it gently over my bruised, aching shoulders.
"Can you stand, Aria?" he asked gently.
"I can," I whispered, gritting my teeth as I pushed myself up with my father’s help. The pain across my back was blinding, but for the first time in four years, I didn't feel broken. I felt alive.
"Good," my father said, straightening up and looking at the two trapped figures on the floor. "Because the federal marshals are arriving in three minutes. And before they take these two away to a maximum-security holding facility where bail is a mathematical impossibility, I want you to deliver the final message."
I stepped forward, leaning slightly on my father’s arm for support, and looked down at the man who had tried to erase me.
May you like
Nathan looked up, his eyes bloodshot and desperate. "Aria... please," he choked out, his voice breaking into a pathetic sob. "We were married. We shared a life. Don't let them do this. I'll give you everything. The house, the company, all of it—"
"You didn't share a life with me, Nathan," I interrupted, my voice steady, cold, and clear. "You rented a prop. And tonight... the lease has expired."
