Chapter 7 - The AuditWithin forty-eight hours, the full scale of Julian’s financial deception was laid bare before federal investigators and the internal auditing team of Montague-Sterling Global.
Julian sat in a sterile, windowless interrogation room at the downtown federal precinct, his hands cuffed to the metal table. His hair was disheveled, his eyes hollow. The infallible, arrogant CEO was gone; in his place sat a desperate man realizing he had spent a decade building a sandcastle in the path of a tidal wave.
The heavy steel door swung open, and Marcus Vance—the former chief of security—stepped into the room, carrying a thick manila folder. He tossed it onto the table in front of Julian.
Julian looked up, his eyes narrowing in bitter fury. "You traitor. You walked out the moment things went sideways."
Marcus pulled out a chair and sat down calmly, crossing his legs. "I didn't walk out on the company, Julian. I walked away from a sinking ship captained by an idiot. You really thought nobody noticed you skimming from the international expansion funds?"
Julian swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "What are you talking about?"
"The audit, Julian," Marcus said smoothly. "For the past three years, you’ve been secretly funneling resort capital into offshore shell accounts under your brother’s name, trying to build a private nest egg just in case your empire collapsed. Problem is... those shell accounts were flagged by Montague-Sterling’s compliance AI on day one. You didn't steal from a public corporation. You stole from a family trust worth fifty billion dollars."
Julian’s face turned the color of chalk. "That... that's impossible. Elena never mentioned—"
"Elena didn't have to," Marcus interrupted. "She let you hang yourself with your own rope. Every fake signature, every forged board resolution, every fraudulent asset transfer you executed has been meticulously documented and handed over to the Department of Justice."
May you like
Marcus stood up, buttoning his jacket, and looked down at Julian with utter disdain.
"Maximum sentence for corporate fraud of this scale on federal property?" Marcus mused quietly. "Twenty-five years without parole. Enjoy your new resort, Julian. The accommodations are considerably less luxurious."
