Chapter 5 - The Downfall of a Mistress
While Alexander was being dismantled in his Chicago boardroom, Sophia Reynolds was enjoying a luxury shopping spree at the high-end boutiques along Oak Street.
She had spent the morning trying on diamond chokers and fur coats, charging everything to the black corporate card Alexander had foolishly left in her possession. She genuinely believed that once Claire was out of the picture, she would become the new Mrs. Moretti, reigning over Chicago society with stolen wealth.
As she stepped out of a luxury boutique carrying eight designer shopping bags, two uniformed Chicago police detectives and an investigator from the Cook County State's Attorney's office stepped into her path.
"Sophia Reynolds?" Detective Miller asked, displaying his gold badge.
Sophia scoffed, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder with an air of practiced entitlement. "Do you have any idea who I am? I am Alexander Moretti’s partner! Get out of my way before I have him terminate your careers!"
"Ms. Reynolds, you are under arrest for receiving stolen property, grand larceny, and conspiracy to commit corporate embezzlement," Detective Miller responded without the slightest hesitation.
The smile froze on Sophia’s face. "What?! That's ridiculous! Alexander gave me those gifts! He paid for everything!"
"Mr. Moretti used embezzled corporate funds from frozen escrow accounts under federal investigation," the second detective stated, pulling her designer shopping bags from her hands and setting them on the pavement. "Every piece of jewelry, every vehicle registered to your name, and the luxury condominium in River North are being seized under federal asset forfeiture warrants."
Before Sophia could let out another arrogant word, Detective Miller pulled her arms behind her back, snapping cold steel handcuffs around her wrists.
Passersby on Oak Street stopped in their tracks, pulling out their smartphones to record the glamorous model weeping hysterically as her luxury shopping bags were loaded into an unmarked police cruiser.
"Alexander! Call Alexander!" Sophia shrieked, her tears ruining her three-hundred-dollar makeup as she was pushed into the back of the police car. "He promised he would protect me! He promised me everything!"
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"Mr. Moretti can't even protect himself, lady," the detective muttered, slamming the cruiser door shut.
News of the arrest hit the Chicago financial blogs within twenty minutes, accompanied by high-resolution photos of Sophia in handcuffs and Alexander's frozen corporate assets, triggering an unprecedented stock collapse that wiped out forty percent of Moretti Enterprises’ market valuation before noon.
