Chapter 3: The Empire of Ash
Julian tried to bolt toward the back exit, but he was pinned by two of Marcus’s men. He looked at the mistress, hoping for some kind of support, but Vanessa was busy trying to peel her expensive heels off so she could run barefoot.
"Julian," Marcus said, his voice dripping with lethal patience. "Do you understand why you’re here? You didn't just cheat on my daughter. You embezzled from the Thorne accounts. I have proof of every penny you moved, every mistress you entertained, and every lie you told the shareholders."
"I... I can fix this!" Julian shrieked, his voice cracking. "I have assets! I have equity!"
"You have a pending indictment for fraud, grand larceny, and corporate espionage," Marcus countered. "The briefcases contain the evidence. My lawyers are currently at your corporate headquarters, seizing your office. Your stock options were voided an hour ago."
Vanessa finally found her voice, though it was a pathetic, trembling whine. "I’m just his girlfriend! I had nothing to do with the money!"
Marcus finally looked at her. His gaze was so clinical and cold that Vanessa took an involuntary step back. "You were the one who signed the shell company incorporation papers, Vanessa. We have the digital fingerprint of your laptop. You aren't a mistress; you’re an accomplice."
The house—the mansion Julian had bragged about, the marble foyer he had used to intimidate his wife—suddenly felt like a closing trap. The cameras inside the house were rolling, the FBI were already pulling up to the gated entrance, and the world Julian had built on lies was burning to the ground.
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Julian looked at his wife, the woman he had kicked out, and then at her father. He realized, with a horrifying clarity, that he was looking at the end of his life as he knew it. His arrogance, his ego, his toxic entitlement—they were all useless currency in this room.
"You’re going to jail, Julian," Marcus whispered. "And you’re going to have a lot of time to think about what happens when you mistake a lioness for an orphan."
