Chapter 4 - The Audit on the IslandI stepped into the kitchen, setting my leather briefcase flat onto the quartz island.
"Claire... please," Ryan stammered, forcing a nervous, sweating smile. "You don't understand... you left that note... you left the email draft... I know it looks bad, but I love you! I swear to God, nothing physical happened between me and Sophie!"
"I don't care about Sophie, Ryan," I revealed flatly.
Ryan blinked in total, disbelieving confusion. "What... what do you mean you don't care?"
I unzipped my briefcase, pulling out three thick leather folders bound by red court seals, laying them flat over the counter beside his scotch glass.
FORECLOSURE NOTICE: Issued by Vance & Sterling Asset Management for $480,000.
FORGERY AUDIT REPORT: Documenting the forged marital signature on the secondary mortgage deed.
EX-PARTE DIVORCE FILING: Including full asset freezing injunctions for all joint accounts.
Ryan’s jaw sagged open in total, speech-bound horror as his eyes scanned the red typography on the top page.
His face turned an ugly, paper-white shade of green. His knees buckled slightly, his hands slamming flat onto the counter to keep from falling.
"How... how did you get these?!" Ryan choked out, his voice cracking into raspy, pathetic squeaks. "Who gave you this?!"
"Sophie gave them to me," I answered cleanly.
Ryan’s head snapped toward the front door where Sophie stood quietly in the foyer, her coat damp from the rain, her eyes holding him with pure disdain.
"You... YOU TRAITOR!" Ryan roared, turning his bloodshot eyes toward Sophie, taking a step toward her. "I TRUSTED YOU! I PROTECTED YOU AT THE FIRM!"
"Don't take another step, Ryan," my voice echoed through the room like a blade of ice.
I pulled my smartphone from my coat pocket, displaying a live video feed connecting directly to the private office of Rebecca Hayes—the most feared matrimonial and corporate litigation attorney in Illinois.
Rebecca sat behind her mahogany desk on the screen, holding an official court order signed by the Cook County Superior Court.
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"Good evening, Mr. Miller," Rebecca spoke sharply through the speaker. "At midnight, an emergency injunction was executed freezing all personal, corporate, and secondary accounts registered under your name. Furthermore, a criminal complaint for forgery, wire fraud, and illegal property encumbrance has been filed with the State's Attorney."
Ryan collapsed flat onto a kitchen barstool, his hands flying up to cover his face, letting out a raw, agonizing sob of total, absolute ruin.
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