Chapter 6 - Unraveling the Web of Lies
By midday, Victor’s executive team had set up a command center directly in the hospital’s conference lounge. Four senior forensic accountants, alongside Marcus Vance, the city's most formidable criminal defense attorney, spread dossiers across the long table.
“The paper trail is undeniable,” Marcus stated, dropping a thick leather-bound binder in front of Victor. “Three years ago, Maris used a forged power of attorney to open an account under the name 'C. Williams' at an offshore subsidiary in the Cayman Islands. Every wire transfer you authorized was immediately siphoned into secondary accounts held by Maris and her shell corporations.”
“What about the divorce papers?” Victor asked, his voice dark and lethal.
“Blatant forgery,” Marcus replied. “The notary was paid fifty thousand dollars to stamp the documents without Catherine’s presence. We already have the notary in custody; he folded within ten minutes of questioning and surrendered his personal ledger. Maris orchestrated extortion, grand larceny, bank fraud, and child endangerment.”
Victor turned his gaze out the panoramic window toward the skyline. “What is the total amount she misappropriated?”
“Directly from your family support transfers? One million eight hundred thousand dollars,” the lead accountant answered. “Indirectly, through the corporate discretionary accounts she convinced you to establish in her name, over six million dollars. She used the money to bankroll high-risk real estate investments that failed, as well as extravagant social functions.”
“Freeze every single account,” Victor ordered without hesitation. “Revoke her credit cards. Cancel her corporate access. Repossess the penthouse on the boulevard. Everything under the Williams name belongs to me. She has twelve hours to vacate the family estate.”
“Victor,” Marcus warned gently, “she is your biological mother. If we file these criminal complaints, she faces twenty to thirty years in a federal penitentiary.”
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Victor turned around, his eyes cold as obsidian. “My mother died three years ago when she condemned my daughter to eat from a garbage bin. File every charge. Give her no quarter.”
***
