Chapter 7 - The Confrontation at the Penthouse
Armed with the newly discovered fraud documents, I didn't wait for the court date. Accompanied by Victoria and two federal investigators from the financial crimes division, I drove directly to Lucas’s luxury downtown penthouse.
We bypassed the lobby security using a court-ordered access decree and took the private elevator straight to the top floor.
When the doors opened, the penthouse was in complete disarray. Cardboard boxes were scattered across the floor, and suitcase after suitcase lined the hallway. Lucas was packing to flee the country.
He stood in the center of the room, looking haggard, a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the kitchen island. Elaine Vance was there too, frantically stuffing designer clothes into a garment bag.
"Margot?" Lucas gasped, dropping a stack of documents. His eyes darted to the federal agents behind me. "What are you doing here? You have no right to be in this building!"
"The building is being seized by the state as part of a federal asset forfeiture, Lucas," I said, stepping into the room with absolute poise. "And I came to return something you lost thirty-two years ago."
I threw the copy of Project Phoenix - 1994 onto the counter.
Lucas looked down at the yellowed folder, and the last remnants of his arrogance evaporated. His skin turned a sickly, gray color. "How... how did you get into that box?"
"You said it yourself, Lucas—I don't read anything from beginning to end," I mocked his own words, stepping closer to him. "But it turns out, when it’s a story about my own life, I don't miss a single word. You forged my father's trust documents. You built your entire life on a lie, telling me I was nothing without you, while you were living on my father's money and my book sales."
Elaine grabbed her purse, trying to slide past the federal agents toward the elevator. "I have nothing to do with this. I didn't know about any forgery!"
"Miss Vance, step back," one of the federal agents ordered, stepping into her path. "You are listed as a co-conspirator on the Aegis Holdings accounts. You aren't going anywhere."
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Lucas collapsed onto a barstool, burying his face in his trembling hands. "Margot... please. We were happy. For thirty years, we were happy. Don't ruin everything over a mistake from the past."
"We weren't happy, Lucas," I said, looking down at him with pure pity. "I was compliant. There is a magnificent difference between a happy marriage and a hostage situation. And today, the hostage is walking away."
