Chapter 4 - The Audit of Vance EnterprisesJulian thrashed his hands frantically, looking around at the five hundred staring elite guests, sweat bursting across his forehead, soaking his tuxedo collar.
"Clara! Stop this ridiculous game!" Julian yelled, trying to muster his old, aggressive authority. "You stole that necklace! You rented that dress! You're trying to humiliate me because I brought Victoria!"
Bridget Colton stepped forward, pulling a thick leather binder bound by bright red judicial seals from her leather briefcase, tossing it flat onto Table One right beside Julian's ruined drink.
CRASH!
"Julian Vance," Bridget announced, her voice booming clearly across the ballroom. "You are hereby served with an Emergency Judicial Petition for Immediate Asset Freezing, a Master Subpoena for Corporate Wire Fraud, and a Petition for Absolute Divorce."
Victoria jumped up from her chair, her face contorted in frantic rage. "Subpoena?! On what grounds?! I am the Head of PR at Vance Enterprises! You can't serve papers at a public gala!"
"We can serve papers anywhere a crime has been committed, Miss Carter," Prosecutor Rachel Hayes stepped forward, turning on a high-definition digital tablet that projected audio and financial logs directly onto the grand projection screens hanging behind the main stage.
The entire ballroom watched as certified forensic audit reports filled the screens:
SHELL COMPANY TRANSFERS: Over nine months, Julian Vance and Victoria Carter had embezzled six point eight million dollars from Vance Enterprises into a shell entity—V-Carter Global—registered under Victoria’s maiden name.
THE RECORDED CONSPIRACY: The ballroom speakers echoed with the clear, high-definition audio recording captured three weeks prior:
"Clara never asks questions," Julian’s voice laughed through the speakers. "She trusts me blindly. If she causes trouble during the divorce, we'll portray her as psychologically unfit to manage marital assets. With the right lawyers, we'll control everything."
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A collective, horrified gasp swept through the five hundred guests.
Beatrice Vance buried her face in her hands, weeping hysterical tears of public disgrace. Evelyn hid behind her chair, while Victoria collapsed onto the carpet floorboards, weeping frantic pleas for mercy.
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