Chapter 6 - The Aftermath and the Audit
The storm had broken, but the debris was still settling across Prescott Enterprises. By Monday morning, the corporate headquarters in downtown felt entirely different. The hum of anxiety that usually accompanied executive meetings was replaced by a quiet, focused determination as Marcus Vance and his forensic accounting team systematically dissected every file Florence Fairmont had touched over the past twenty-four months.
Jonathan sat behind his mahogany desk, looking at the panoramic view of the city skyline. His coffee was cold, untouched.
Marcus walked into the office, carrying a thick binder filled with printed financial logs and wire transfer receipts. He dropped it onto the desk with a heavy thud.
“It’s worse than we thought, Jonathan,” Marcus said, pulling up a chair and sitting down without waiting for an invitation. “Florence wasn’t just aiming for a hostile asset takeover of Prescott Enterprises. She had a secondary shell corporation set up in the British Virgin Islands, funneling small, unnoticeable amounts from our philanthropic trust fund into her personal accounts.”
Jonathan rubbed his temples, a dull ache throbbing behind his eyes. “How much?”
“Close to four million over eighteen months,” Marcus replied grimly. “And that’s just what we’ve uncovered so far. She was methodical. If you had gone through with that wedding and signed those papers, she would have bled this company dry within six months and left you holding the bag for federal tax evasion.”
Jonathan stared at the binder. A cold anger surged through him, replacing the lingering grief of betrayal. “Can we recover it?”
“Every last cent,” Marcus said with a confident smirk. “International asset freezing protocols are already in motion. Her accounts are locked tighter than a bank vault. She’s facing federal charges that will guarantee she spends the next decade of her life behind bars.”
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“Good,” Jonathan murmured, his voice ice-cold. “Make sure the prosecutors have everything they need. I want no leniency.”
As Marcus stood up to leave, Jonathan felt a strange sense of liberation. The illusion was gone, and while the financial mess would take months to fully clean up, the core of his life—his family, his integrity, and his company—was intact.
