Chapter 1 - THE FALLOUT
The silence in the private dining room was deafening.
Marcus stared at the tablet in the maitre d's hand as if it were a loaded weapon.
The video looped, showing his cruel laughter and Sylvia’s vicious kick over and over again.
Agent Miller did not even blink at the display of petty cruelty.
He simply gestured to the uniformed officer standing by the heavy mahogany doors.
The officer stepped forward and unclipped the steel handcuffs from his heavy utility belt.
"Marcus Vance, please stand up and place your hands behind your back," Miller ordered.
Marcus’s face turned a violent, blotchy shade of crimson.
"This is an absolute outrage, Miller!"
"You cannot arrest me based on the paranoid delusions of a bitter housewife!"
He pointed a trembling finger at me, his eyes wide with sheer panic.
I sat perfectly still, letting the marinara sauce dry on my ruined silk blouse.
"I am not delusional, Marcus."
"I am the person who just handed the federal government the keys to your offshore accounts."
Sylvia suddenly jumped up from her chair, her crystal flute shattering against the hardwood floor.
"I had nothing to do with those wire transfers!" she screamed, her velvet stilettos slipping on the spilled champagne.
"Marcus told me the consulting fees were entirely legitimate!"
Marcus spun around, looking at his mistress with absolute betrayal.
"You greedy coward, you signed the incorporation papers yourself!"
The board members began scrambling out of the booth, desperate to distance themselves from the imploding CEO.
The officer grabbed Marcus by the shoulder and forcibly spun him around.
The sharp click of the handcuffs echoed beautifully across the quiet room.
"You have the right to remain silent," the officer began reciting.
Marcus glared at me over his shoulder as they marched him toward the exit.
"You are going to pay for this," he hissed venomously.
I picked up my napkin and wiped the last drop of sauce from my cheek.
May you like
"I think you will find that your accounts are frozen, Marcus."
"You cannot afford to make me pay for anything anymore."
