Chapter 5 - The Counter-Attack
By midnight, the story of the disastrous rehearsal dinner had spread through New York financial circles like wildfire.
I was sitting in my living room, wearing sweatpants and drinking tea, while Marcus and Sam went over the final evidence package on my dining table.
"The District Attorney's financial crimes unit has already taken an interest," Marcus noted, reviewing the bank trails. "Once we submit the formal complaint on Monday, Evan won't even be granted bail easily. The amount embezzled crosses the threshold for grand larceny."
My phone chimed. It was a text from an unknown number.
CLAIRE. THIS IS MARJORIE. YOU WILL DROP THIS INVESTIGATION IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL DESTROY YOUR FAMILY'S REPUTATION. YOUR FATHER WASN'T A SAINT EITHER.
I handed the phone to Marcus. "Is that witness intimidation?"
"It certainly qualifies as extortion," Marcus smiled grimly. "Keep saving everything."
Ten minutes later, my doorbell rang violently.
Sam immediately stood up, reaching into his jacket. "Stay here. I'll check the security monitor."
The feed showed Marjorie standing on my front porch, her pristine blonde hair disheveled, frantically beating against the heavy mahogany door. Next to her was a tall man in a dark suit holding a thick envelope.
I walked into the foyer and opened the door, keeping the safety chain engaged.
"Can I help you, Marjorie?" I asked through the gap.
"Open this door right now!" Marjorie screamed, her voice cracking with hysteria. "You think you're so smart, don't you? You think you can just ruin my family and walk away?"
The tall man stepped forward, holding out the envelope. "Claire Henderson? You are being served with a formal emergency injunction and a lawsuit for defamation, tortious interference, and intentional infliction of emotional distress."
I looked at the legal papers through the crack in the door, then looked at the process server.
"Who filed this?" I asked.
"Hale Enterprises and Marjorie Hale," the man replied.
I let out a single, genuine laugh.
"Marjorie," I said softly, looking at her through the gap. "You're suing me for defamation when every single document I showed tonight was a certified bank statement from your own company?"
"You had no right to access those records!" she shrieked. "That was private corporate data!"
"Actually," Sam called out from behind me, stepping into the light of the doorway with his badge visible, "as a licensed corporate fraud investigator working under a court-approved audit mandate for one of Hale Enterprises' primary investors, Ms. Henderson had full legal authority to pull those ledgers."
Marjorie went deathly pale. She looked at Sam, then back at me.
"You... you set us up," she whispered, realization finally dawning on her. "You knew before today."
"I knew the moment I heard you say 'She’ll sign tomorrow,'" I replied. "You thought I was weak because I didn't brag about my career at your dinner parties. You thought I was just a girl with 'cute little spreadsheets.'"
I reached out and gently took the envelope from the process server.
"Thank you," I told the man. Then I looked at Marjorie. "My attorney will see you in court on Monday. Oh, and Marjorie?"
She glared at me, her chest heaving.
May you like
"Your house is very lovely," I said coldly. "You should start packing. Because Vanguard Sovereign is executing their foreclosure notice at noon tomorrow."
I closed the door and locked it.
