Chapter 3 - The Day of the StrikeTuesday morning arrived with a biting chill that signaled the change of seasons in Denver.
Julian left the house by 7:30 AM, dressed in his finest bespoke suit, carrying his leather briefcase filled with the fraudulent paperwork he expected me to sign later that afternoon. As his luxury sedan pulled out of the driveway, I watched from the second-floor window, sipping my black coffee.
"Have a great day at the office, Julian," I whispered to the empty room. "You're going to need it."
At 9:00 AM sharp, I drove downtown to David Vance’s law offices.
The conference room was already set up with dual monitors, financial ledgers, and a stack of emergency court filings. David sat at the head of the table, flanked by a forensic accountant named Sarah, whose laptop displayed real-time tracking of Julian’s corporate accounts at Silicon Mountain Bank.
"Everything is locked and loaded," Sarah announced as I took a seat. "Julian filed for an expedited, uncontested divorce petition at 8:45 AM this morning through his firm’s counsel, claiming irreconcilable differences and citing a pre-signed asset division agreement."
"And the asset freeze?" I asked.
"Filed simultaneously," David grinned, sliding a stamped court document across the table. "Judge Higgins signed the emergency injunction ten minutes ago. Every single corporate account, secondary line of credit, and personal debit card linked to Julian Vance and his startup, Apex Innovations, has been frozen effective immediately."
"What about his personal credit?" I asked.
"Declined at every coffee shop and gas station between here and Cherry Creek," Sarah chuckled. "He's completely cut off from his liquidity."
We didn't have to wait long for the fireworks to begin.
At precisely 11:15 AM, my cell phone buzzed violently on the mahogany table.
Caller ID: Julian.
I looked at David. He nodded, gesturing for me to put it on speakerphone and keep my voice completely calm, sweet, and utterly oblivious.
I pressed accept.
"Chloe!" Julian’s voice blared through the speaker. He wasn't using his calm, soothing boardroom tone anymore; he sounded panicked, breathless, and furious. "What the hell is going on?!"
I kept my tone light and confused. "Good morning to you too, honey. What are you talking about?"
"My corporate cards!" Julian shouted, background noise indicating he was standing in the middle of a busy downtown street or hotel lobby. "They’re all declined! The bank says my accounts are under a federal fraud freeze and a civil injunction! Did you touch my portfolio?!"
"Your portfolio?" I asked innocently. "Julian, I was just at home making coffee. Why would your accounts be frozen?"
"Don't play games with me!" he barked, his voice cracking with rising hysteria. "The bank teller just told me an emergency asset preservation order was filed this morning under your name through David Vance’s firm! How did you even know about that account?!"
I leaned back in my leather chair, letting a cold, quiet edge creep into my voice.
"Let's just say, Julian... I finally learned how to read the fine print."
A suffocating silence hung over the phone line.
"What... what are you talking about?" he whispered, the panic finally breaking through his arrogant facade.
"Enjoy your morning meeting, Julian," I said smoothly. "Oh, and by the way? The brunette at Denver International Airport says hello."
Click.
May you like
I hung up the phone, sliding it across the table.
In the conference room, David and Sarah broke into quiet applause. The trap had snapped shut, and Julian was frantically trying to chew his own leg off to escape.
