Chapter 5 - The Erasure
"That document," Natalie said, her voice slicing through the heavy silence like a scalpel, pointing to the paperwork sitting in front of Charles Sterling, "is a forgery. The holding company, L&G Holdings—Lydia and Graham—was established three months ago to illegally siphon the intellectual property of this company."
The Chief Financial Officer stood up, his face flushed with fury, glaring at Graham. "Is this true? You forged her signature to steal the patents?"
Graham was hyperventilating. He looked at the investors, then at Charles Sterling, who was already frantically packing his briefcase, attempting to distance himself from the radioactive fallout.
"Nat, please," Graham begged, tears spilling over his cheeks, his voice cracking into a pathetic, desperate whine. The arrogant visionary was gone, replaced by a terrified, cornered thief. "It's a misunderstanding. I was trying to protect the company. I was trying to protect us. The video... it's out of context!"
"Context," Marcus Vance said smoothly, stepping to the front of the room. "Is a matter for the federal prosecutor. I have already submitted the video evidence, the forged incorporation documents, and the digital forensic footprint to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Because you utilized interstate wire communications to commit corporate fraud, this is a federal offense, Mr. Stanton. You are looking at a minimum of ten to fifteen years."
Graham’s knees buckled. He collapsed into a leather boardroom chair, burying his face in his hands, openly sobbing in front of the men he had tried to impress minutes earlier.
"Charles," Natalie said, turning her merciless gaze to the lawyer. "Marcus has already filed a grievance with the New York State Bar Association regarding your complicity in this fraud. You will be disbarred by the end of the year. Get out of my building."
Sterling didn't say a word. He grabbed his coat and fled the room.
Natalie looked down at the weeping shell of the man she had loved for eleven years. She felt no pity. She felt no heartbreak. The emotional surgery was complete; the tumor had been successfully excised.
"The divorce papers are in your inbox, Graham," Natalie stated coldly. "I am taking full custody of Iris. You will receive no alimony. You have no equity in this company. You have absolutely nothing. Security will escort you to the lobby. If you ever set foot within five hundred feet of my daughter or my business again, I will ensure the prosecution seeks the absolute maximum penalty."
Later that afternoon, the rain finally stopped, giving way to a cold, clear sky.
Natalie sat alone in the living room of her house. The silence was no longer heavy; it was clean. It was purified.
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was Lydia. It was the seventeenth call in the last hour.
Natalie finally answered, putting it on speaker.
"Natalie! Oh my god, Natalie, please!" Lydia was hysterical, sobbing uncontrollably. "Graham just called me! He said his accounts are frozen! He said he’s facing federal charges! Natalie, I had nothing to do with the forgery, I swear! He manipulated me! I didn't know what he was doing!"
Natalie listened to her sister’s frantic backpedaling. The moment the ship began to sink, Lydia had instantly turned on Graham to save herself.
"You wore the coat," Natalie said quietly.
"What? What are you talking about?" Lydia cried.
"The ivory coat. I bought it for you because you wanted to feel like old money. You wanted to feel expensive," Natalie said, her voice devoid of any sisterly warmth. "But you aren't expensive, Lydia. You're cheap. And when Graham goes to prison, and his assets are seized to pay my legal fees, he isn't going to have a dime to support you. You gambled your family for a man who is currently bankrupt and facing a decade in a federal penitentiary."
"Nat, please! You're my sister! You can't just cut me off!"
"I don't have a sister," Natalie said.
She ended the call. She blocked the number.
The front door opened, and the sounds of the school bus pulling away echoed down the street. Iris ran into the living room, dropping her backpack, her face bright with a massive, innocent smile.
"Mommy!" Iris cheered, running into Natalie’s arms.
May you like
Natalie held her daughter tight, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling the solid, unbreakable reality of the life she had salvaged. The company was secure. The house was hers. The rot had been burned out.
"Hi, my sweet girl," Natalie whispered, looking out the window at the clear, bright horizon. "It's just you and me now. And everything is going to be perfectly fine."
