Chapter 3 - The Forensic Strike
"Fraud?" Richard choked out, glancing back at Tiffany, who was now staring at them with wide, horrified eyes. "Watch your mouth, Thorne. I run a legitimate real estate portfolio."
"You run a highly leveraged house of cards," Catherine corrected gently.
She opened the small, embossed leather clutch resting beside her plate and withdrew a folded document, sliding it across the table.
"When you asked me to step down from the gallery and 'manage our life,' you also gave me full legal power of attorney over our joint accounts to handle the philanthropy," Catherine explained, her tone conversational, as if they were discussing the weather. "You thought I was just writing checks to the ballet. But I was also reading the ledgers, Richard. I saw the offshore transfers. I saw the invoices for the 'consulting' firm that Tiffany Vance supposedly runs."
Richard’s blood ran completely cold.
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"You've been illegally siphoning corporate funds from Sterling Properties to finance your mistress, your weekend trips, and your ego," she continued. "A direct violation of your covenants with your primary lenders."
"So," Dominic intervened smoothly, folding his hands together. "When Catherine approached me with the un-redacted financial forensic reports last week, I saw an undervalued asset severely mismanaged by an arrogant CEO. Thorne Capital bought up the entirety of your mezzanine debt at 9:00 a.m. this morning. We are your sole creditors."
