Chapter 3 - The Empty Nest and the Audit
The penthouse suite was everything I remembered—spacious, elegant, bathed in golden afternoon sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlooked the sparkling Atlantic Ocean.
I walked out onto the private wrap-around balcony, breathing in the salty ocean breeze. For seventy-two years, I had carried the weight of the world on my shoulders. I had built an empire after my husband died, sacrificed my own comfort, and poured every drop of my energy into ensuring Mark had a life free of hardship.
And how had he repaid me? By marrying a woman who viewed me as disposable, and by becoming a man who traded his integrity for social climbing.
My phone buzzed on the glass patio table. I picked it up. It was an incoming call from Thomas Vance, the senior managing partner of Montgomery Group’s corporate legal and financial audit division.
I answered immediately. “Thomas. Good afternoon.”
“Chairman Montgomery,” Thomas’s deep, serious voice came through the speaker. “I trust your arrival at Serenity Shores went smoothly?”
“Not quite, Thomas,” I replied dryly. “In fact, it necessitated a rather abrupt family restructuring.”
“Ah,” Thomas sighed knowingly. “I take it Mr. Mark Montgomery and his wife acted true to form?”
“Worse than you can imagine,” I said. “Which brings me to why I’m calling. Since Mark has demonstrated such a profound lack of character, financial responsibility, and professional ethics, I want a complete, comprehensive audit of every single corporate asset, bonus structure, stock option, and property deed currently tied to his name through the family trust.”
There was a brief pause on the line. “You want to audit his personal portfolio?”
“Every cent,” I confirmed coldly. “I want to know exactly how much of my company’s capital he has squandered, what debts he’s accumulated behind my back, and whether any company funds were used to finance his wife’s lavish lifestyle.”
“Understood,” Thomas said professionally. “I’ll mobilize the compliance team immediately. We’ll have a preliminary forensic breakdown on your tablet by tomorrow morning.”
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“Thank you, Thomas.”
I hung up and looked out over the ocean. Mark thought losing the hotel suite and his family subsidy was the worst thing that could happen to him. He didn't realize that the storm was only just beginning.
