Chapter 3 - THE LUXURY SHELL
The morning sun of a chilly Tuesday did nothing to warm the frosted glass windows of the Calloway family's corporate headquarters.
Ryan Calloway sat at his massive mahogany desk, his custom-tailored suit looking sharp, his phone buzzing with a series of frantic notifications.
His mother, Sophia, burst through the double doors, her designer handbag shaking in her hand, her face a pale mask of confusion.
"Ryan! The bank just issued an emergency suspension on our primary discretionary credit accounts!" she shrieked, slamming her tablet onto the desk.
"They are claiming there is an administrative review underway regarding our recent luxury real estate transactions in Malibu!"
Ryan frowned, his thumb swiping across his screen as a cold, sudden wire of panic began to tighten around his chest.
"That's impossible, Mom," he muttered, his voice dropping out of its usual arrogant register.
"Claire left the house yesterday morning with nothing but a single suitcase and some baby supplies; she doesn't have the leverage to block our assets."
"She didn't block the assets, Ryan," Arthur Calloway announced, entering the office with a grim, unyielding expression that silenced the room.
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"A senior federal auditor just flagged our entire regional procurement chain for money laundering and systemic corporate fraud."
"And the source of the data leak originated from an encrypted administrative profile registered under Claire's maiden name."
