Chapter 4 - The Raid
The sun had barely risen when a convoy of unmarked black SUVs pulled up to the Vance Corporation headquarters.
I stood across the street, holding a cup of hot coffee, watching the operation unfold.
A team of forensic accountants and state investigators breached the glass lobby doors.
Marcus had built his real estate empire on a foundation of intimidation and dirty money.
For years, he had operated under the belief that he was completely untouchable.
Today, the state was proving him entirely wrong.
My phone buzzed, and Captain Miller’s name flashed on the screen.
"We are in, Madam DA," Miller reported.
"His IT department tried to wipe the servers, but we stopped them."
"Excellent work, Captain," I replied, taking a slow sip of my coffee.
"Secure all hard drives and physical ledgers, and do not let anyone leave the building with a briefcase."
I crossed the street and walked past the police tape, flashing my gold badge at the perimeter guards.
I rode the elevator up to the executive penthouse suite, the doors opening to a scene of absolute chaos.
Marcus was screaming at an investigator, his face red and a vein bulging in his neck.
"You cannot do this! I will sue this entire city into bankruptcy!" Marcus roared.
Then he saw me stepping out of the elevator.
"You!" he shrieked, pointing a shaking finger in my direction.
"You orchestrated this illegal raid just because kids got into a fight!"
"This is not a raid, Marcus," I corrected him calmly, handing a thick stack of papers to his screaming lawyer.
"This is a legally executed search warrant based on probable cause of massive corporate fraud."
"You thought you could buy your way out of Ashton's assault charge."
"I decided to look into exactly where that money was coming from."
His lawyer frantically scanned the warrant, his face turning pale.
"Marcus, shut up," his lawyer hissed.
"This warrant is ironclad."
"They have authorization to seize everything."
Marcus stared at me, his eyes wide with a sudden, terrifying realization.
May you like
"You are insane, Sarah," he whispered.
"No, Marcus, I am just very good at my job," I smiled coldly.
