Chapter 2 - The Morning After
Thomas Vance woke up the next morning feeling like the undisputed king of Texas.
He walked down the grand staircase of his mansion, sipping his expensive black coffee.
He expected to see the morning newspaper praising his daughter’s extravagant engagement party.
Instead, his phone began to ring incessantly, vibrating violently against the marble kitchen counter.
It was his lead corporate attorney, and the man sounded absolutely frantic on the other end of the line.
"Thomas, turn on the local news channel right now!" the lawyer screamed into the phone.
My father grabbed the remote control and flicked on the massive television in the living room.
His smug, arrogant smile completely vanished in a fraction of a second.
The breaking news banner flashing across the bottom of the screen read in bold red letters: 'Prominent Developer Investigated for Multi-Million Dollar Fraud.'
The news anchor was currently displaying detailed screenshots of his offshore bank accounts.
My father dropped his expensive ceramic coffee mug, shattering it into pieces across the pristine floor.
My mother rushed into the room, wearing her silk robe, completely oblivious to the impending doom.
"Thomas, what is all this shouting about so early in the morning?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
He could not even speak, simply pointing a trembling finger at the television screen.
The broadcast explicitly mentioned an anonymous whistleblower who had provided an undeniable trail of evidence.
My father instantly knew that I was the one who had pulled the trigger.
He immediately tried to log into his primary banking app to move his hidden funds.
A bright red error message popped up, informing him that his accounts were officially frozen by federal mandate.
The millions of dollars he had stolen over the decades were completely locked away.
He was a wealthy man on paper, but he couldn't even afford to buy a gallon of milk right now.
He dialed my number in a blind rage, ready to scream and threaten my life.
I watched his name flash on my screen from the comfort of my small apartment.
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I smiled, took a sip of my cheap coffee, and casually pressed the reject button.
He was finally experiencing the exact same helplessness he had forced upon me for my entire life.
