Chapter 10 - The Fall of the Empire
The next morning, the financial world woke up to a bloodbath.
Sterling Enterprises' stock price plummeted by sixty percent before noon.
Shareholders panicked after seeing the viral videos of Arthur's arrest.
The SEC officially announced a full-scale investigation into the company.
Federal agents raided the corporate headquarters, carrying out dozens of boxes of hard drives and files.
I watched the news on the small TV in my modest studio apartment.
The news anchors looked grim as they discussed the magnitude of the fraud.
"Arthur Sterling remains in federal custody without bail, deemed a severe flight risk," the reporter stated.
"His wife, Eleanor, was released on bond but faces multiple counts of grand larceny."
"Their son, Julian, has been expelled from the university and stripped of his degree."
I took a sip of my cheap coffee.
It tasted better than any expensive champagne my parents had ever served.
My new lawyer, David, called me later that afternoon.
"Good news, Sarah."
"We've filed an emergency injunction to freeze all of your mother's personal assets."
"She won't be able to sell off any property or hide the remaining trust fund money."
"She's completely locked out of her own bank accounts."
"How is she paying for her defense?" I asked.
David chuckled warmly on the other end of the line.
"She isn't."
"She's currently relying on a public defender."
A public defender.
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Eleanor Sterling, the woman who wore thousand-dollar shoes to grocery store, was using a public defender.
The irony was almost too delicious to handle.
