Chapter 4 - Face to Face
The top floor of the Vanguard Capital building was silent except for the hum of the air conditioning. Daniel and Vanessa strutted out of the elevator, trying to project an aura of unbothered confidence. Daniel wore his best remaining suit, though it smelled faintly of stale motel air.
They were led into a massive, glass-walled boardroom. Sitting at the head of the long mahogany table was Claire.
Daniel stopped in his tracks. The woman sitting before him looked nothing like the wife he had terrorized for eight years. Her hair was cut into a sharp, elegant bob, accentuating her jawline, where a large, medical-grade bandage covered his handiwork. She wore a tailored black power suit, her hands clasped calmly on the table. Beside her sat Miriam Cole and two men in dark suits who didn't look like lawyers.
"Claire, darling," Daniel began, forcing a patronizing smile as he stepped forward. "Look at you, playing CEO. Let's cut the theatrics. You've had your little tantrum, you locked me out of the house, but we both know—"
"Sit down, Daniel. Vanessa," Claire interrupted. Her voice wasn't loud, but it possessed a terrifying, absolute authority that cut Daniel off mid-sentence.
Slightly unnerved, Daniel and Vanessa sat across from her.
"You think this is a divorce negotiation," Claire said, looking directly into Daniel’s eyes. He tried to stare her down, but for the first time, she didn't look away. Her gaze was ice. "It isn't. I didn't invite you here to negotiate. I invited you here to witness the consequences of your choices."
Vanessa sniffed loudly. "Oh, please, Claire. You're going to jail us? For what? A little spilled coffee? It was an accident! And those transfers were just family loans!"
Claire didn't even look at Vanessa. She signaled to one of the men in dark suits. He opened a laptop and turned it toward Daniel.
"Six months ago, I discovered you were using my father's firm to back your illegal financial schemes," Claire explained calmly. "I didn't stop you because I needed to see how deep the rot went. You thought you were siphoning money into Delaware. In reality, every single dollar you transferred passed through a mirror account monitored by the Federal Trade Commission. I handed them the keys this morning."
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Daniel’s face drained of color. "You... you trapped me?"
"No," Claire corrected gently, leaning forward. "You trapped yourself. I just stopped hiding the key."
