Chapter 6 - The Vanishing Wealth
Julian Vance awoke the following morning with a throbbing headache and a sense of growing unease. The Long Island estate was eerily quiet. The catering staff had fled during the helicopter invasion, leaving behind half-eaten hors d'oeuvres and overturned chairs across the lawn.
"It was just a stunt," Chloe declared, sipping an espresso while wearing a silk robe that belonged to Elena. "Her family was probably some bankrupt former aristocracy with a few rented security guards. Julian, you shouldn’t worry. The Mercer deal closes at noon today. We’ll have fifty million in liquid capital."
Julian nodded, trying to convince himself she was right. "You're right. When Elena comes crawling back, I’m locking her in the guest house permanently. She embarrassed me in front of the elite of New York."
His phone buzzed on the glass dining table. The caller ID showed *Jonathan Vance*, his elder uncle and chairman of the family trust.
Julian answered smugly. "Uncle, if you're calling about the commotion yesterday—"
"Julian, you idiot! What have you done?!" his uncle screamed, his voice trembling with hysterics. "Turn on the financial terminal! Look at Vance Holdings right now!"
Julian’s heart plummeted. He rushed to his study, booting up his dual-monitor Bloomberg terminal. What greeted him was a sea of crimson numbers that looked like an open artery.
The stock price of Vance Logistics—the backbone of his family’s wealth—had plummeted by seventy-eight percent in pre-market trading.
"How is this possible?" Julian stammered, his fingers frantically clattering against the keyboard. "This is an error. We have guaranteed credit lines with the Bank of Geneva!"
"The Bank of Geneva terminated all credit facilities at four in the morning!" Jonathan shrieked. "They called in the four-hundred-million-dollar collateral loan immediately! They claim our liquidity guarantees were fraudulent! The regulatory commission is raiding our Manhattan headquarters as we speak! Who did you cross, Julian?! Who did you offend?!"
Before Julian could process the words, a notification flashed on his private banking app.
*Account Alert: Trust Fund #8821 – Access Revoked.*
*Account Alert: Off-shore Operating Account – Frozen by Federal Court Order.*
*Account Alert: Personal Black Card – Revoked.*
The two hundred million dollars that had sat comfortably in his secondary accounts—money he had quietly funneled from Elena’s private accounts over the past three years—was gone. In its place was a balance of zero, accompanied by a cold, formal notice from a Zurich-based legal firm: *Assets reclaimed under international anti-fraud statutes.*
The front door of the mansion banged open. Two men in dark suits carrying leather briefcases entered the foyer without knocking.
"Julian Vance?" the lead man asked, displaying a gold badge. "United States Marshals. We have a seizure warrant for this property and all assets contained within, issued on behalf of the primary creditor, Sterling Maritime Holdings."
Chloe dropped her porcelain cup; it shattered against the marble floor. "Sterling? What does that mean? Julian, what is happening?!"
May you like
Julian stood frozen, the blood draining from his face until he was as pale as a corpse. "Sterling... No. That’s impossible. She said her name was just Elena..."
***
