Chapter 4 - The Truth Unveiled
Brendan stared down at the photographs laid out on the marble desk, his mouth hung open, his breathing coming in ragged, shallow gasps.
"This... this is a private matter," Brandon stuttered, trying desperately to pull his dignity back together. "Sonia is my family! I have a duty to take care of Mason! Mason is the only boy who can carry on the Vance name!"
"You didn't use your personal salary to take care of him, Brandon," Lucas interjected, stepping forward until he stood towering over his brother-in-law. "You stole from the company. You used funds guaranteed by our family trust to buy a house for your mistress while you hit my eight-year-old niece in a restaurant last night."
Sonia stepped out from behind Brandon, her face contorted in anger. "I am not a mistress! Brandon loves me! He’s been taking care of us since my husband died! Hannah never appreciated him! She couldn't even give him a son!"
Lucas turned his gaze toward Sonia, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.
"You might want to check your bank account before you speak again, Mrs. Vance," Lucas said softly.
Sonia frowned, hurriedly pulling her phone out of her purse. Her manicured fingers swiped across the screen, tapping into her mobile banking app.
A second later, a sharp, gasping scream tore from her throat.
"My... my account!" Sonia cried out, looking up at Brandon in sheer terror. "The down payment money! It’s gone! The bank says the transfer was recalled for fraud investigation!"
"What?" Brandon shouted, grabbing her phone. "That's impossible! That money was processed three days ago!"
"It was processed using a corporate wire transfer signed by an unauthorized officer," Arthur Pendelton explained with cold, legal precision. "Since Hannah Hayes Vance is the sole trustee of the underlying asset guarantee, she flagged the wire as fraudulent at midnight. The federal banking authorities have placed a freeze on all accounts connected to the receiving shell company."
Brenda grabbed Brandon’s arm, her voice rising to a frantic shriek. "Brandon! Do something! Tell them they can't do this! Tell them to give the money back!"
"She can't freeze my personal money!" Brandon yelled, turning to Arthur. "I built Vance Logistics! I made this company worth thirty million dollars!"
"You made this company worth thirty million dollars because my sister gave you exclusive access to the Hayes Maritime Network," Lucas said, taking a step closer. "Without the Hayes family, Brandon, you’re just a mid-level manager with a high school diploma and a history of bad choices."
At that exact moment, the main glass doors of the building slid open again.
Three uniformed police officers stepped into the lobby, accompanied by a detective wearing a dark trench coat.
Detective Vance pulled a silver badge from his pocket and held it up.
"Brandon Vance?" the detective asked coldly.
Brandon froze, his knuckles turning white as he clutched Sonia’s phone. "Yes... I am Brandon Vance."
"I am Detective Vance from the City Police Department," the officer announced. "I have a warrant for your arrest on charges of misdemeanor child abuse and domestic battery stemming from an incident at the Miami Grand Resort last night, as well as a preliminary freeze order issued by the State Financial Crimes Bureau."
Brenda let out a bloodcurdling scream, throwing her arms around Brandon’s neck. "No! You can't arrest my son! He did nothing wrong! He was just disciplining his daughter! It was just a little slap!"
"Step back, ma'am," the officer commanded firmly, pushing Brenda gently aside.
The second officer pulled Brandon’s arms behind his back, snapping heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists with a cold, metallic clack.
"Brandon!" Sonia shrieked, tears ruining her expensive makeup. "Brandon, do something! What about the house? What about our baby?"
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Brandon looked back over his shoulder as he was led toward the exit, his face pale, his eyes wide with utter disbelief. He looked at Lucas. He looked at Arthur. He looked at the photographs of his stolen house scattered across the marble floor.
And finally, he realized that the quiet woman he had knocked into a puddle twelve hours ago had pulled the foundation out from beneath his entire life without saying a single word.
