Chapter 4: The Dismantling of a Monster
The next twenty-four hours were a surgical removal of Mark Thorne from reality. Elena, now flanked by the Sterling legal team, watched from the head of the boardroom table as the empire she had been fighting for was systematically reclaimed.
It turned out Mark had been embezzling from the company for months, creating shell corporations to funnel money away. He thought he was clever; he didn't realize that the Sterling forensic accountants had been tracking him since the day he proposed to Elena. They had let him play the game, let him grow arrogant, and let him reveal his true intentions.
"The contracts are void," the lead lawyer announced. "The forced signature is documented by three dozen witnesses and high-definition security footage. We have the wire transfers, the offshore accounts, and the proof of his physical abuse."
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Mark sat in the corner of the room, stripped of his phone, his keys, and his reputation. The arrogance that had fueled him was gone. He tried to speak, to beg, but the security team stepped forward, their presence absolute.
"You aren't going to have a lawyer, Mark," Elena said calmly, reviewing a ledger. "You’re going to have a cellmate. I’m not just going to take your money. I’m going to take the freedom you used to hurt me."
