Chapter 3 - THE COLLATERAL TRAP"Mr. Vance, if I may," I said, stepping into the center of the room, my voice calm, clear, and utterly steady. I didn't look like an unstable wife anymore. I looked like the sole beneficiary of a fifty-million-dollar estate holding all the cards.
Arthur Vance looked up from the documents, adjusting his glasses. "Mrs. Pierce... I had no idea. If Veridian knew these assets were fraudulently represented—"
"You would have been legally implicated in a multi-million-dollar securities fraud," Elias finished for him. "Which is why Veridian’s legal counsel is currently receiving a complete transfer of all communication logs regarding this meeting."
Nathaniel lunged forward, his face twisted in rage. "You bitch! You planned this! You set this whole thing up from the beginning!"
"I didn't have to set anything up, Nathaniel," I said coldly, looking him dead in the eye. "You walked right into the trap because you couldn't imagine for a second that a woman you cheated on and gaslit would actually outsmart you."
Before Nathaniel could take another step toward me, two local harbor police officers—summoned quietly by Miller twenty minutes earlier—stepped through the office door, their heavy boots clicking against the teak floor.
"Mr. Nathaniel Pierce?" the lead officer asked, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt. "You're under arrest for grand larceny, maritime trespass, and fraudulent misrepresentation of trust assets."
"This is a civil matter!" Nathaniel shouted as the officer grabbed his arms, wrenching them behind his back. "You can't arrest me! I'm a registered corporate executive!"
"Fraud against a protected family trust is a federal offense, Mr. Pierce," the officer replied flatly, clicking the cuffs into place with a sharp clack.
Sloane was already heading for the door, clutching her designer handbag like a shield. "I have nothing to do with this! I'm leaving!"
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"Not so fast, Miss Hart," Elias called out, pulling a subpoena from his briefcase. "You are named as a co-conspirator in the unauthorized access of maritime property. You’ll be speaking with the district attorney's office in the morning."
As Nathaniel was dragged out of the marina office, his head bowed, his expensive suit rumpled, he cast one last look back at me through the glass door. It wasn't anger in his eyes anymore. It was pure, freezing terror.
