Chapter 3 - The Iron-Clad Trust
While Julian and Beatrice spent their first night in a concrete holding cell, Mr. Vance was ruthlessly executing my orders.
Arthur Vance was a seventy-year-old estate attorney who had been my grandfather’s closest confidant. Julian constantly mocked him as a "senile relic," a dinosaur who didn't understand modern business. But Mr. Vance was a legal shark who swam in deep waters, and he loved me like a daughter.
At 8:00 AM the next morning, Julian’s defense attorney, a slick corporate fixer named Harrison, marched into the precinct holding area. He sat across from Julian, who looked disheveled, exhausted, and furious in his orange jumpsuit.
“Post the bail, Harrison,” Julian snapped, running a trembling hand through his unstyled hair. “I need to get to the bank. Clara’s trust has liquid assets. Just forge her signature on a withdrawal slip, I have her authorization stamp in my desk.”
Harrison looked at him with a mixture of pity and terror. “Julian, I can’t do that. And even if I could, it wouldn't matter.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Arthur Vance triggered a dead-hand lock on Clara’s entire portfolio last night,” Harrison explained, pulling a stack of legal notices from his briefcase. “He invoked a domestic violence protection clause written into the original trust charter. The moment Clara initiated divorce proceedings and filed a police report, every single asset was frozen and moved into an untouchable blind trust. You have been legally severed from her wealth.”
Julian’s face turned chalk-white. “No. No, that’s impossible! We are legally married!”
“Not for long,” Harrison replied grimly. “Vance already filed the divorce petition, citing felony abuse. But Julian, the divorce is the least of your problems. You can't afford my retainer anymore. Your corporate accounts are frozen.”
May you like
“Frozen? By Vance?”
“No,” Harrison swallowed hard. “By the FBI. They raided your headquarters at dawn. They have your hard drives, your ledgers, and your private emails. They are looking for the federal auditors you bribed.”
