Chapter 5 - The Sister Crumbles
Lauren, who had been sitting frozen near the corner, suddenly burst into frantic tears. She dropped her silver pen, burying her face in her hands.
""I told you!"" she sobbed, looking at Tim with wide, terrified eyes. ""I told you we shouldn't have touched the procurement accounts! Jenna helped me get this job when I was drowning in debt! She paid off my credit cards two Christmases ago! Tim, you swore Paul never looked at the regional vendor ledgers!""
""Lauren, keep your mouth shut!"" Diane hissed, grabbing her daughter's arm with bruising force. ""Don't you dare say another word to these people! They're trying to intimidate us!""
""It isn't an intimidation tactic, Mrs. Miller,"" Arthur Vance said calmly, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. ""It is a formal criminal referral. As of nine o'clock this morning, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has accepted our filing. Federal agents are currently executing search warrants at Apex Hauling Solutions’ registered offices in Rockford, as well as Tim’s private residence in Lincoln Park.""
Tim’s head whipped toward Arthur, his eyes wild. ""My residence? That’s my house! You can't search my home!""
""It isn't your house, Tim,"" I said, leaning forward and meeting his panicked gaze without flinching. ""It never was. The deed is held under the Preston Family Heritage Trust. The prenuptial agreement you signed four years ago clearly stated that upon dissolution of the marriage, your right of occupancy terminated immediately. Your keycards were deactivated at eight o’clock. Your belongings are currently being packed by a bonded moving crew and placed into a secure storage facility. You will receive the key once our inventory audit confirms you haven't stolen any family heirlooms.""
May you like
""You can't do this to me!"" Tim screamed, rising from his chair so violently that it rolled back and struck the glass partition behind him. ""I gave four years of my life to this company! I worked eighty-hour weeks! I built your logistics network!""
""You built an embezzlement scheme inside a network my father spent forty years constructing,"" I replied coldly. ""You thought my love made me weak. You thought because I didn't question your late nights or your demands for your family's promotions, I was stupid. But kindness is not ignorance, Tim. And patience is not surrender.""
