Chapter 2 - The Corporate Disconnect
The silence inside the luxury boutique was so absolute you could hear the rain lashing the windows outside.
The two wealthy women by the earring display didn't even pretend to look away anymore, their eyes wide with delight.
Lily stared at me, then at Jason, her face twisting into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury.
"Jason, you told me the corporate accounts were completely under your name!" she shrieked.
"You told me she was just a minority partner who didn't have any voting control!"
Jason didn't answer her; his mouth opened and closed weakly like a fish gasping for air.
"The Miller Development Group was founded by my father, Lily," I said, stepping up to the glass counter.
"Jason was an employee who happened to share my bed for seven years before he decided to cheat."
"The judge signed the final asset division decree at exactly two-thirty this afternoon."
"Every single luxury line, corporate account, and secondary credit card associated with my name was terminated."
The boutique manager discreetly slid the black titanium card off the counter and handed it back to me.
"Thank you, Dr. Miller," the manager said, completely ignoring Jason’s presence. "Would you like us to hold the ring?"
"No, thank you, Richard," I replied with a small, cold smile. "The gentleman clearly can't afford the deposit."
Jason finally found his voice, his fists clenching as he stepped into my path, his eyes bloodshot.
"You think you're smart, Elena?" he hissed, his voice dropping into a low, vicious whisper.
"You think you can just strip my lifestyle away after everything I did for that firm?"
"I built the luxury pavilion project! I brought in the international investors!"
"You brought in shell companies to hide your own personal spending, Jason," I countered, pulling my laptop from my tote.
"While you were busy buying emerald dresses for your mistress, I was doing a complete forensic audit."
"I didn't just cancel the card; I delivered the transfer logs to the federal grand jury this morning."
Lily let out a sharp, horrified gasp, her manicured hand flying to her mouth as she backed away from him.
"Federal?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Jason, you said the money was clean!"
"It was clean until he started using the corporate tax shields to pay for your penthouse lease," I said.
Suddenly, the heavy glass doors of the boutique were pushed open from the outside, the cold wind rushing in.
Two men in dark tailored suits stepped through, their eyes instantly locking onto Jason’s panicked face.
They weren't local police officers; they carried the gold badges of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division.
"Jason Miller?" the lead agent asked, his voice echoing loudly under the crystal chandelier.
"You need to come with us. We have a federal warrant for your arrest regarding grand larceny and tax evasion."
Jason looked at the agents, then at the massive diamond ring still sitting on the black velvet tray.
The trap he thought he had escaped during the divorce proceedings had just snapped shut around his neck.
"Elena, please," he begged, his voice cracking as the first agent grabbed his arm.
"Think about the company reputation, think about what this will do to the stock value!"
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"The stock value is perfectly fine, Jason," I said, turning my back on him as the handcuffs clicked into place.
"Because as of ten minutes ago, your name has been completely erased from the corporate ledger."
