Chapter 4 - The First Domino
The assault began quietly.
On Tuesday morning, my father’s primary offshore bank in the Caymans froze his accounts, citing "irregularities detected by a third-party audit." The auditor, of course, was one of Elias's shell companies.
My phone rang at noon. It was Julian, sounding frantic.
"Clara! Is your fossil of a husband awake?" Julian barked.
"Silas is resting," I lied smoothly, watching Elias casually do push-ups on the Persian rug of the penthouse, shirtless and coated in a light sheen of sweat. I forced my eyes away from the flex of his back muscles. "What's wrong?"
"Our liquid capital just got locked down. We need the secondary transfer from Silas's trust today, or the union reps at the Brooklyn docks are going to walk out by midnight. Wake him up."
"I can't, Julian. The doctors said his heart needs absolute rest. If I stress him, he could have an episode."
"I don't care if he flatlines as long as he signs the wire transfer first!" Julian screamed. "Get it done, Clara, or I swear to God—"
"Or you'll what?" I interrupted, dropping the meek sister act. "You'll force me to marry an old man? You already played that card. Figure it out yourself."
I hung up.
Elias stopped his workout, pushing himself up gracefully. He grabbed a towel and smirked at me. "Trouble in paradise?"
"The dockworkers are threatening a strike," I reported. "Without the cash flow, my father can't pay the bribes to keep the union bosses quiet. They'll shut down the port by midnight."
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"Excellent," Elias said, tossing the towel aside. "Because I happen to own the debt on the warehouse facilities they use at that exact port. Let's see how Arthur handles a strike and an eviction notice on the same day."
By nightfall, Arthur’s logistics company was in a tailspin. The docks were entirely paralyzed. Ships were stranded in the harbor, racking up thousands of dollars in fines per hour. My father’s empire was bleeding out, and the knife was completely invisible.
