Chapter 3 - The Freezing of the Board
Dominic’s face went from an ash-gray to completely translucent. He looked at me, then at Alistair, the reality of his monumental mistake finally slamming into his chest like a physical blow.
"Audrey... you... you're Alistair Aurelia's granddaughter?" he choked out, his voice high and panicked. "Why didn't you tell me? We're family! We've been married for three years!"
"I told you exactly what you needed to hear to show me who you really were, Dominic," I said, leaning back in my chair, completely unbothered by his panic. "And you didn't disappoint. You waited until I was unconscious from an emergency C-section to rob me blind."
"It was a mistake! The accounts—I can transfer the money back right now!" Dominic pleaded, pulling out his phone with trembling hands. "Natalie, take the coat off! Take it off right now!"
Natalie was crying now, the smug arrogance completely stripped from her face as she hurriedly unbuttoned the ivory cashmere coat, revealing her pregnant silhouette beneath. She dropped the coat onto an empty chair as if it were on fire, her red nails shaking.
"The time for transactions is over, Mr. Vale," Alistair’s chief legal counsel, Marcus Vance, said as he stepped into the room, holding a tablet. "While you were busy tossing divorce papers onto my client's lap, the Aurelia Group executed a full financial audit of Vale Medical Logistics. It turns out your company relies heavily on sub-contracts provided by hospitals owned entirely by the Aurelia trust."
Dominic froze, his phone slipping from his fingers and clattering onto the floor. "What?"
"Effective at 9:01 a.m. today, all procurement contracts with Vale Medical Logistics have been terminated due to moral turpitude clauses," Marcus smiled, a sharp, shark-like expression. "Furthermore, the joint accounts you emptied contained funds that were directly tied to an Aurelia family trust allotment. By transferring them into your private business account, you didn't just commit civil asset fraud—you committed federal bank fraud across state lines. The FBI financial crimes unit has already flagged the transfers."
Dominic sank to his knees, his hands clutching his head. "No... no, no, no. This can't be happening. I built that company! I'm the CEO!"
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"You're a tenant in a building that's about to be demolished, Dominic," I said coldly. "Now, get out of my sight. My babies are trying to sleep."
Two of Alistair's security guards stepped forward, grabbing Dominic by the arms of his tailored charcoal suit and dragging him out of the NICU suite, his desperate pleas fading down the hallway. Natalie hurried behind them, sobbing into her hands, completely exposed to the glares of the hospital staff.
