Chapter 5 - The Reception Committee
The twin jet engines whined down to a quiet whistle as the aircraft came to a halt on the baking asphalt of Scottsdale Executive Airport. The Arizona heat radiated off the runway, shimmering under the brilliant afternoon sun.
Royce stood up, buttoning his sport coat, feeling refreshed and invincible. "Let's go, sweetheart. The black car should be waiting by the private gate."
The cabin door opened, the motorized airstairs unfolding toward the concrete.
Royce stepped out into the dry desert air first, holding his hand out chivalrously to assist Kira down the steps. But as he reached the bottom rung, his smile vanished.
There was no chauffeured Cadillac waiting.
Instead, three vehicles blocked the tarmac: a Scottsdale Police cruiser with its amber lights pulsing, a flatbed commercial transport truck, and a sleek black sedan bearing the emblem of a prominent Phoenix commercial litigation firm.
Standing beside the sedan was a woman in a sharp charcoal pantsuit holding a thick manila folder, flanked by an armed Maricopa County process server.
"Mr. Royce Vega?" the woman asked, stepping forward, her heels clicking crisply against the asphalt.
Royce frowned, his voice dropping into his habitual commanding register. "Who the hell are you? This is private airport tarmac. You have no authorization to be near this aircraft."
"I am Sarah Martinez, local counsel representing Marisol Vega and Vega Holdings LLC," the woman announced clearly. She handed the process server a clipboard, who immediately shoved a thick stack of legal documents against Royce's chest. "You have been formally served with an emergency ex-parte summons for divorce, an injunction prohibiting the dissipation of assets, and an immediate order of asset sequestration."
Behind him, Kira let out a sharp gasp, freezing on the bottom step of the plane. "Royce? What is this?"
"This is a joke," Royce sneered, knocking the papers away so they fluttered across the hot pavement. "My wife doesn't have the authority to file anything regarding this plane! This jet belongs to Vega Development!"
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"Not anymore, Mr. Vega," Sarah Martinez replied calmly, pulling a certified document from her briefcase. "As of two hours ago, the senior convertible note held by Marisol Vega was executed. Vega Development has been restructured. The board of directors—consisting of majority shareholder Marisol Vega and Davis Holt—has terminated your executive status, frozen your corporate accounts, and surrendered this aircraft to settle outstanding corporate debts."
The process server stepped toward the cockpit stairs, producing a bright red official seal. "Captain Harris, please power down the auxiliary units and vacate the aircraft. This plane is officially impounded by court order."
