Chapter 7 - Marissa’s Swift Betrayal And The Sudden Collapse Of Fake Loyalty
Exiled from the mansion and stranded on a suburban Palo Alto sidewalk with three heavy Gucci bags,
Marissa Lane felt the chilling reality of her ruined ambitions.
She pulled out her smartphone,
frantically dialing Preston’s private mobile number while tears of frustration smeared her expensive mascara.
The phone rang four times before going straight to voicemail.
She tried again,
her panic escalating into hysterical rage as every call was automatically rejected by Preston’s locked device.
"Pick up,
you worthless bastard!" Marissa screamed into her phone,
kicking one of her designer suitcases in blind fury.
She had given up a comfortable,
albeit modest,
lifestyle as a marketing associate for the hollow promise of billionaire luxury.
Now,
she was legally barred from entering the Palo Alto mansion,
her corporate credit cards were frozen,
and her name was irrevocably linked to an ongoing federal fraud investigation.
A sleek black Tesla pulled up to the curb,
and a stern-looking process server rolled down the passenger window,
holding out a thick manila envelope.
"Are you Marissa Lane?" the process server asked in a monotone voice.
"What do you want?" Marissa snapped,
backing away from the vehicle.
"You have been formally served with a civil subpoena and joinder notice as a co-defendant in the Ironvale Systems asset recovery lawsuit,
" the server stated professionally.
"You are required to depose before the district court on Monday morning regarding the offshore wire transfers.
"
Without waiting for a response,
the process server tossed the manila envelope onto the pavement beside her Gucci luggage and drove away.
Marissa dropped to her knees on the concrete,
tearing open the envelope to find page after page of financial tracking data detailing every dollar she had accepted from Preston.
The luxury dinners,
the designer handbags,
the European vacation itineraries—all of it was classified as stolen corporate property subject to immediate seizure.
Her phone buzzed violently in her hand,
flashing a text message notification from her landlord giving her forty-eight hours to vacate her San Francisco apartment for unpaid rent.
The fairytale romance had evaporated into thin air within a single morning,
leaving behind only the cold,
unforgiving wreckage of greed.
She realized with terrifying clarity that Preston could no longer save her because he could not even save himself.
In that moment of absolute desperation,
Marissa made a ruthless calculation that matched the very nature of the man who had seduced her.
She opened her contacts list,
scrolled down to the direct line of federal investigator Robert Vance,
and hit dial.
"Hello,
my name is Marissa Lane,
" she said,
her voice dropping all pretense of affection as she prepared to sell Preston out to save her own skin.
"I want to cooperate with the District Attorney's office regarding Preston Vale's embezzlement scheme.
"
May you like
Loyalty among thieves was a myth,
and Marissa proved it before the sun had even reached its zenith.
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