Chapter 5 - The Shattered Mirage
Nathan stared at the blue legal envelope in his hands as if it were a coiled rattlesnake.
"What is this nonsense?!" Nathan snapped, tossing the folder onto a nearby luggage bench. "Who authorized this?! Do you know who I am?! I am the Vice President of Prescott Commercial Development!"
The process server picked up the documents and shoved them back into Nathan's hands.
"You were the Vice President, Mr. Prescott," the server replied with professional indifference. "You were terminated for cause at three o'clock this afternoon. Have a pleasant stay in Miami."
The two servers turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowded terminal.
Brooke stood beside him, clutching her baby bump, her face draining of all color. "Nathan... what did he mean, terminated?! What is he talking about?!"
"It's a mistake! A clerical error!" Nathan stammered, his hands shaking violently as he yanked his phone from his pocket.
He dialed his corporate credit card concierge to order a luxury private car to South Beach.
An automated operator answered immediately: "We're sorry. The card ending in 4102 has been flagged for fraudulent activity and permanently deactivated by the corporate account administrator. Please contact your compliance officer."
Nathan broke into a cold, greasy sweat.
He opened his mobile banking app, attempting to access the joint high-yield account where he had supposedly parked my inheritance.
The screen flashed bright red: ACCOUNT BALANCE: $0.00. STATUS: UNDER FEDERAL JUDICIAL ATTACHMENT.
"No... no, no, no!" Nathan shouted, smacking the side of his phone against his palm. "This is impossible! Caroline doesn't know anything! She was crying at the airport two hours ago!"
"Nathan, you're scaring me!" Brooke cried out, tears welling in her blue eyes as vacationers began staring at them. "What about the penthouse?! Did the wire for the first month's lease clear?!"
Nathan frantically dialed the leasing agent for the Continuum South Beach.
"Mr. Prescott," the leasing agent answered in a strained, icy tone. "I'm glad you called. We received a formal notice of dispute and asset recovery from Vance & Sterling Legal Associates thirty minutes ago. The seven-hundred-and-twenty-thousand-dollar escrow deposit has been recalled under federal grand larceny warrants."
"You can't do that!" Nathan screamed into the receiver. "The contract is signed!"
"The contract was signed using embezzled funds under an active criminal investigation, Mr. Prescott," the agent replied coldly. "The electronic key fobs have been deactivated, and your private security access to the tower has been permanently revoked. Do not attempt to enter the property."
The call clicked off with a sharp, hollow beep.
Nathan dropped his phone onto the terrazzo floor. It bounced, the glass screen shattering into a spiderweb of cracks.
Brooke stumbled backward, clutching her head with both hands, staring at the man she had staked her entire future upon.
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"You said you had millions," Brooke sobbed, her voice turning shrill and hysterical in the middle of the terminal. "You told me your wife was an idiot who would never notice the money! You promised me a penthouse on Ocean Drive!"
"Shut up, Brooke!" Nathan snarled, his face twisted in pure, desperate terror. "Just shut the hell up!"
