Chapter 9 - The Final AuditTwo weeks later, the sun was shining brightly over the manicured lawn of my suburban home, casting a warm, golden glow through the living room windows. The house felt lighter, cleaner, and infinitely more peaceful without the toxic weight of David and his parents polluting every corner.
My phone sat on the kitchen island, buzzing softly with a notification from my legal team.
“Asset recovery complete. 100% of siphoned funds successfully repatriated to your primary account. Shell corporation dissolved. Vance-Hayes Enterprises liquidated.”
I smiled, taking a slow sip of my morning coffee.
David’s trial was scheduled for the autumn. With the mountain of forensic evidence my team had compiled—combined with Marcus Vance immediately turning state's evidence to shave years off his own sentence—David was looking at a minimum of eight to ten years in a federal penitentiary. Chloe, of course, had vanished into thin air the moment the bank accounts froze and the reporters started sniffing around her office.
As for Teresa and Arthur, I had received a bitter, tearful voicemail from Teresa two days ago, complaining that the retirement community they had scurried back to didn't offer premium cable and that the food was "subpar." I hadn't even bothered to reply. I simply blocked their numbers forever, adding them to the growing digital archive of my past life.
My attorney called me five minutes later to finalize the last piece of paperwork.
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“Everything is officially signed, Eleanor,” she said warmly over the line. “You are a single woman, your assets are fully protected, and the house is entirely in your name, free and clear of any encumbrances.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking out at the blooming hydrangeas in my front yard. “It feels good to finally be home.”
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