Chapter 17 - The Shadow of Evelyn’s Madness
The heavy double doors of the executive suite opened precisely at nine o'clock.
Charles Vance strutted into the room,
wearing a lavish,
custom-tailored pinstripe suit,
his gold watch catching the ambient light.
Beside him walked two high-priced defense lawyers holding leather briefcases,
their faces smug with false confidence.
Charles looked around the breathtaking office,
his eyes burning with obvious green envy.
"Emily,"
Charles said loudly,
his voice dripping with fake warmth as he extended a hand.
"Or should I call you Chairwoman Carter now?"
"I must say,"
"you’ve done a remarkable job redecorating my family's corporate throne."
Emily remained seated behind her vast glass desk,
not making the slightest gesture to take his hand.
Charles’s hand hovered awkwardly in the air before he pulled it back,
his smile stiffening slightly.
"Let us skip the meaningless pleasantries,
Charles,"
Emily said smoothly,
her cold blue eyes locked directly onto his face.
"You brought legal counsel to my office at night."
"State your demand."
Charles took a seat across from her,
crossing his legs and resting his gold-ringed hands on his knee.
"My demand is simple,
my dear,"
Charles declared arrogantly.
"My brother built the foundation of this logistics empire."
"Daniel was an idiot who couldn't manage his household,"
"let alone a corporate board."
"But I am a Vance."
"This bearer bond grants me twenty percent of all assets tied to the original family name."
"Pay me fifty million dollars cash tonight,"
"and I will sign a full waiver,"
"disband the press conference,"
"and return to Switzerland."
"Refuse,"
"and I will drag Vanguard through international courts for the next decade."
"I will destroy your stock value."
"I will ruin your public image."
Emily listened quietly,
her face an unreadable mask of absolute tranquility.
When Charles finished speaking,
she turned her head slightly toward Arthur.
"Arthur,"
she said softly.
"Bring out file Omega."
Arthur walked over to the side table,
picking up a silver flash drive and plugging it into the large wall monitor behind Emily.
The high-definition screen lit up immediately,
displaying hundreds of banking records,
offshore wire transfers,
and encrypted Swiss account ledgers.
Charles's face instantly lost all color.
"What...
what is that?"
Charles stammered,
his hands beginning to tremble on his lap.
"These are the private ledgers of the Zurich Commerce Bank,"
Emily explained,
her voice calm,
measured,
and devastating.
"Eight years ago,"
"you didn't just attempt to steal money from your brother."
"You stole seven million dollars from an offshore trust fund."
"A trust fund that belonged directly to my late father's estate."
"For eight years,"
"I allowed you to live comfortably in Zurich because you were out of my sight."
"I quietly covered your debt to prevent a public scandal that would hurt my holdings."
"You didn't survive on the Vance family legacy,
Charles."
"You survived because I allowed you to breathe my air."
The two lawyers sitting beside Charles quickly looked at the documents on the wall,
their faces turning pale as they realized the magnitude of the trap.
"This...
this is private banking information!"
Charles gasped,
sweat breaking out across his forehead.
"It’s illegal to access this!"
"I own sixty percent of Zurich Commerce Bank,
Charles,"
Emily whispered,
leaning forward across her desk.
"I am the law in that bank."
"And as of eight-thirty tonight,"
"I filed a formal international warrant for your arrest for wire fraud and money laundering."
"The Swiss authorities are waiting downstairs in the lobby alongside federal agents."
Charles jumped out of his chair so fast he knocked his leather briefcase to the floor.
"You...
you monster!"
he shrieked,
pointing a shaking finger at her.
"You destroyed Daniel!"
"You destroyed Evelyn!"
"Now you're destroying me?"
"I did not destroy anyone,
Charles,"
Emily said coldly,
standing up to look down at him.
"You destroyed yourselves the moment you assumed my quietness was weakness."
"Take him away,
Arthur."
Two federal agents stepped through the doors,
placing iron handcuffs onto Charles’s wrists before he could utter another word.
His lawyers backed away in complete silence,
May you like
refusing to even speak on his behalf as he was dragged down the hallway,
screaming curses that echoed uselessly into the night.
