Chapter 5 - Frozen Assets
At seven o’clock the following morning, the sun rose over a Manhattan that belonged entirely to me.
Inside the sprawling penthouse on Fifth Avenue, chaos had already broken out. Victoria stood in the middle of the master bathroom, screaming at the top of her lungs because the master water valve had been shut off by the building's management.
Dominic was pacing the hallway in his silk bathrobe, his phone glued to his ear, his voice crackling with hysteria.
"What do you mean my card is declined? Try it again! It's a black card with unlimited credit! Try the business reserve account!"
Brooke ran out of the guest suite, holding her phone with tears streaming down her contoured face. "Dominic! The admissions director at St. Jude's just emailed me! They rescinded Liam’s acceptance! They said the five-hundred-thousand-dollar endowment check bounced!"
"That's impossible!" Dominic roared, throwing his phone against the wall. The screen shattered into a web of cracks. "The funds cleared last Tuesday!"
Before Brooke could scream again, the front door buzzer chimed. Victoria rushed to open it, expecting her private hairdresser or perhaps the concierge bringing apology pastries.
Instead, three uniformed marshals and four private security officers wearing Sterling Security badges stood outside.
"Dominic Vance?" the lead marshal asked, checking an official court decree.
Dominic marched to the foyer, trying to puff out his chest. "I am Dominic Vance! Who authorized you to enter my residence? Do you know who my lawyers are?"
"This property is deeded solely under the Sterling Family Legacy Trust," the marshal declared neutrally, ignoring Dominic's bluster. "Per order of the Supreme Court of New York, a writ of immediate possession has been granted to the primary trustee, Clara Sterling. You have precisely twenty minutes to vacate the premises."
Victoria shrieked, clutching her chest as if suffering a coronary. "This is an outrage! My son built this empire! Clara is just a parasitic housewife who couldn't even give him a normal child! Call the mayor! Dominic, call Senator Hayes!"
"Senator Hayes won't take your calls, Mrs. Vance," Julian Vance’s voice rang out as he stepped out of the private elevator, accompanied by an inventory specialist. "Considering Sterling Holdings contributed seventy percent of his campaign fund, he has already blocked your son’s number."
Brooke stepped forward, her eyes wide with terror as she grasped Dominic’s arm. "Dominic, tell them! Tell them about the upstate estate! We can just go there! We don't need this stupid apartment!"
Julian smiled thinly. "I'm afraid the equestrian estate in Dutchess County was seized two hours ago by federal agents, Ms. Ellis. When stolen corporate capital is used to purchase real estate, the property becomes an active crime scene subject to asset forfeiture."
Brooke went stark white. "Stolen capital...?"
"You didn't really think Dominic earned fourteen million dollars on his CEO salary, did you?" Julian chuckled. "His base pay was three hundred thousand. He bought your Birkin bags with his wife's inheritance. And speaking of luxury items..."
Julian gestured to the security officers.
"Pursuant to the court order, everything inside this apartment—including all jewelry, designer clothing, handbags, and fine art purchased using marital accounts within the last twenty-four months—is impounded for forensic audit. You may leave with the clothes on your back and one piece of personal identification."
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"You can't take my jewelry!" Brooke screamed, lunging toward Julian, only to be firmly restrained by a female marshal. "Those were gifts! Dominic gave them to me!"
"Dominic gave you stolen property," Julian said smoothly. "Now, you have eighteen minutes remaining. Tick-tock."
