Chapter 6 - Unmasking the Syndicate Behind Veronica’s Debts
The grand dining room was dead silent save for the ragged sound of Derek’s panicked breathing. Veronica sank onto a dining chair, burying her face in her hands, her emerald dress rustling against the hardwood floor.
"You ruined everything, Alvin," Veronica sobbed, her voice trembling with venomous spite. "We were seventy-two hours away from walking away with two million dollars! We could have paid off our debts! We could have started over!"
"What debts, Veronica?" Alvin asked, walking over to the dining table and pulling out a second manila folder from Inez's briefcase. "The debts from your brother’s failed offshore gambling ring in the Bahamas? Or the six-figure credit card balances you ran up under my mother’s stolen Social Security number?"
Carmen gasped, clutching Manuel’s arm. "Veronica... you used my identity?"
"She didn't just use it, Mom," Alvin said, dropping a thick sheaf of credit reports onto the table before them. "Veronica and her brother established three separate dummy corporations using Mom and Dad’s address. They ran up over one hundred and eighty thousand dollars in high-interest consumer debt buying designer goods, luxury travel, and leasing exotic vehicles."
Derek spun around, staring at his wife in sheer disbelief. "Veronica... you told me those credit cards were paid off by your trust fund! You told me your family was backing the bridge loan!"
Veronica glared at Derek with pure contempt. "My trust fund? You pathetic idiot! My family went bankrupt four years ago! Why do you think I married you? Because you bragged that your brother was a multimillionaire in New York who paid for everything without asking questions!"
The truth crashed down on Derek like a physical blow. He stumbled backward against the sideboard, knocking over a crystal decanter that shattered across the floor.
"You... you used me?" Derek whispered, his voice cracking.
"You used yourself, Derek," Alvin interjected coldly. "You were so desperate to feel like a high-rolling businessman that you let your wife turn you into an accomplice against your own flesh and blood. You took the money I sent for Mom and Dad’s care and handed it over to a syndicate of scammers."
Inez Vance stepped forward, checking her tablet. "Alvin, the Chatham County Sheriff’s deputies have arrived outside with the emergency temporary protective order and the preliminary writ of ejectment."
Veronica’s head snapped up. "Ejectment? You can't evict us! This is our legal residence!"
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"Your name is not on the Master Trust, Veronica," Inez said evenly. "The fraudulent Quitclaim Deed has been officially stayed by emergency court order pending criminal investigation. As of twelve minutes ago, you and Derek are legally classified as unlawful trespassers on the Serrano Family Estate."
Headlights flashed through the large front windows as two sheriff cruisers pulled up along the circular driveway, their amber and blue lights reflecting off the Spanish moss hanging from the oak trees outside.
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