Chapter 5 - The Snake Sheds Its Skin
With Vincent’s executive access revoked, I moved my base of operations into the penthouse suite of the Bennett Tower on Wacker Drive. For forty-eight hours, our forensic accounting team, headed by Alexander, combed through every ledger, off-shore account, and expense report bearing Vincent’s signature from the last twenty-four months.
What they uncovered was far uglier than mere emotional neglect.
""Take a look at this,"" Alexander said, sliding an encrypted USB drive and a stack of bank drafts onto my desk. The sun was setting over Lake Michigan, casting long orange shadows across the minimalist office. ""Vincent didn't just spend his own money pampering Sophia Reynolds over the past two months. He diverted three point four million dollars from Moretti Enterprises' research and development escrow into a shell company registered in Delaware.""
""A shell company?"" I asked, leaning forward, my eyes narrowing.
""Apex Global Consulting,"" Alexander explained, tapping a line on the financial summary. ""Sole beneficiary: Sophia Reynolds. He bought her a luxury townhouse in Lincoln Park and leased an Aston Martin under the corporate fleet account. He was preparing to transfer the proprietary logistics patent to Apex behind the board’s back. He wasn't just being unfaithful, Claire. He was actively looting your family’s investment to set Sophia up as an independent shipping magnate.""
My blood ran cold. The pain of emotional abandonment evaporated, replaced by cold, calculating rage. I had given that man everything—my youth, my talent, my family’s fortune, and my unyielding loyalty. In return, he had treated me like a disposable maid while secretly robbing me to fund a lavish lifestyle for the woman who abandoned him seven years ago when his family was on the brink of bankruptcy.
""Sophia never loved him,"" I murmured, recalling the cruel sneer on her lips outside the restaurant. ""She left him for a European heir when Vincent was broke. She only came back when she saw his face on the cover of Fortune.""
""And now she thinks she’s secure with three million dollars of Bennett money,"" Alexander smiled, a predatory glint in his grey eyes. ""Shall we pull the rug out?""
""Not yet,"" I said, leaning back in my leather chair. ""A snake doesn't die when you cut off its tail. You have to let it strike where it thinks its prey is weakest, and crush the head. Let them think Vincent still has leverage. He'll run straight to her.""
Sure enough, across town in the newly acquired Lincoln Park townhouse, the drama was already unfolding.
Vincent had arrived at Sophia’s doorstep with his cardboard box, looking shattered. He expected tears of sympathy, warm embraces, and an unwavering partner to help him plot his return to power.
""What do you mean she took the company?!"" Sophia shrieked, backing away from him in the marble foyer of the townhouse. Her glamorous facade dissolved instantly into sharp-featured fury. ""You told me Moretti Enterprises was yours! You promised me a seat on the board of directors! You told me that plain little mouse was entirely dependent on you!""
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""She lied to me, Sophia!"" Vincent yelled, his voice cracking with humiliation. ""Her grandfather was Charles Bennett! She owns the debt, the patents, the voting control! But don't worry, we still have each other. We have the three million in Apex Global. We can start over in Florida—""
""Start over?"" Sophia let out a shrill, hysterical laugh. ""Are you out of your mind, Vincent? I didn't spend the last two months enduring your boring work stories and holding your hand for you to drag me down into poverty! If you don't have the Moretti name, you’re nothing!""
