Chapter 4 - The House of Cards Collapses
By Tuesday afternoon, the federal investigation had expanded like a wildfire through dry brush. Cut off from Victor’s stolen funds and facing twenty years in a federal penitentiary, Olivia Marsh didn't take long to break.
Inside the federal holding facility, she begged for a proffer agreement, desperate to throw Victor under the bus to save herself.
"It was all his idea!" Olivia sobbed to the investigators, her mascara running down her pale cheeks. "He told me Claire was incompetent! He said she wouldn't notice the missing money because she never checked the offshore accounts! I didn't know he was forging her signature on the loan documents!"
Agent Miller sat across from her, completely unfazed by her tears. He slid a piece of paper across the metal table. "Miss Marsh, we have IP addresses tracking the digital signatures directly to your personal laptop. We also have records of you accessing the shell company's bank accounts to purchase a three-million-dollar villa in Switzerland. You weren't a victim. You were an active participant."
Olivia choked on her breath, her eyes darting around the room as if looking for an escape. "I... I can give you his secret ledgers! The ones he hid from the IRS!"
"We already have them," Agent Miller said coldly. "They were delivered to us by Anonymous Source Alpha—otherwise known as Claire Langley—two days ago. Your cooperation is appreciated, but it won't spare you a prison sentence. It will only determine how long it is."
Meanwhile, Victor’s high-priced legal team was falling apart. Every defense strategy they attempted was instantly neutralized by Marcus Vance’s team.
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Every hidden asset Victor thought he had buried over the last six months had been meticulously logged, tracked, and frozen. He couldn't even afford his own bail because the accounts used to secure his retainer were flagged as stolen corporate funds.
The man who believed he could play chess with my life had realized he was playing against a grandmaster, and he was already trapped in checkmate.
