Chapter 3 - The Federal Avalanche
Damen’s eyes raced to the bottom of the page, reading the final, devastating lines of his wife's checkmate.
I mailed the first drive to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
I mailed the second drive to the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division.
I mailed the third drive to the New York Times.
Enjoy the hearing tomorrow.
— Clare.
"No," Damen whispered, the word tearing from his throat in a raw, animalistic gasp. "No, she couldn't have."
His phone began to vibrate violently on the desk.
It was Preston Hail, his attorney and Vanessa's older brother.
Damen snatched the phone. "Preston, we have a breach. The offshore accounts—"
"Turn on the news, Damen," Preston interrupted. The lawyer’s voice, usually a smooth, arrogant baritone, was stripped of all its armor. He sounded terrified. "Turn it on right now."
Damen grabbed the remote and turned on the massive flat screen mounted on the study wall. The CNN breaking news banner was glowing in aggressive, blood-red text.
BREAKING: ASHEFORD CAPITAL ACCUSED OF MASSIVE FRAUD; FEDS RAID HEADQUARTERS.
Helicopter footage showed the glittering glass tower of Asheford Capital in downtown Chicago. Surrounding the building were a dozen black SUVs. FBI agents in tactical windbreakers were swarming the lobby, carrying out boxes of servers, hard drives, and physical files.
"They have everything," Preston said over the phone, breathing heavily. "They hit the office ten minutes ago with a no-knock federal warrant. They're freezing the corporate accounts. They're freezing your personal assets. Damen, they have internal emails between you and Vanessa. They know about the wire fraud."
"Where is Vanessa?" Damen demanded, pacing frantically.
"She's been detained," Preston said, his voice turning cold. "And as her attorney, I’ve advised her to fully cooperate with the federal prosecutors. She is going to testify against you to secure immunity, Damen. You’re on your own."
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The line went dead.
The mistress who had promised him the world had instantly offered his head on a platter to save her own.
