Chapter 6 - The Trap
The ballroom exploded into murmurs and quiet chaos. Reporters began snapping photos, flashbulbs illuminating Flynn’s frozen, pale face.
“This is nonsense!” Flynn yelled, his voice cracking with desperation as he turned to Lord Sterling. “She’s lying! She’s mentally unstable! She’s angry because I’m divorcing her!”
“Are you divorcing her, Flynn?” Marcus Thorne asked calmly. “Because as of four o’clock this afternoon, Mrs. Vance filed for immediate legal separation, citing severe financial breach, corporate embezzlement, and marital infidelity.”
Selina grabbed Flynn’s arm, her voice rising in panic. “Flynn, do something! Tell them she’s lying! Tell them to kick her out!”
“Shut up, Selina!” Flynn barked, shoving her hand off him in a sudden burst of rage.
The public rejection was brutal. Selina stumbled back, her face twisted in shock and humiliation as corporate executives watched the CEO brutally snap at his mistress in the middle of the Plaza ballroom.
Flynn turned back to Lord Sterling, sweating profusely. “Richard, listen to me. I founded this company’s operational strategy. Even if there’s some old trust document, I hold the voting proxy! The board supports me!”
“Not anymore, Mr. Vance,” Marcus Thorne announced smoothly.
Marcus signaled toward the main stage at the front of the ballroom. The giant high-definition projection screens—which were supposed to display Flynn’s corporate presentation—suddenly flickered.
Instead of the Vance Global corporate logo, the screens displayed a certified forensic audit report stamped by the Federal Securities Enforcement Division and Vance & Sterling Audit Group.
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
The slides automatically cycled through detailed bank statements, offshore wire transfers, and property deeds.
Slide 1: $4.2 Million transferred from Vance Global R&D into Alpha Zenith LLC (Controlled solely by Flynn Vance).
Slide 2: $3,200 monthly rent payments for Soho Penthouse Unit 4B, paid directly from Vance Global Corporate Accounts for Selina’s residence.
Slide 3: Purchase invoice for $110,000 Diamond Necklace from Beacon Hill Fine Jewelry, classified under corporate operational expenses as "IT Software Upgrades."
The entire ballroom went dead silent.
Flynn stared at the screens in utter horror. His chest was heaving, his mouth hanging open. The entire corporate ecosystem of New York was watching the complete, indisputable proof of his white-collar crimes displayed in 4K resolution.
“You... you hacked my company...” Flynn stammered, looking at me with pure terror.
“I didn't hack anything, Flynn,” I said softly, stepping closer to him so only he and Selina could hear. “You gave your assistant a $110,000 necklace using company funds while giving your wife $1,800 a month to raise your child. You thought I was helpless. You thought because I stayed home for four years, my mind had turned to mush. You forgot that before I met you, I was a senior financial analyst at Goldman Sachs. I built valuation models before you even knew how to read an income statement.”
Selina began to cry hysterically, clutching her expensive dress. “Flynn... what is happening? Are we going to jail?”
“Security!” Flynn screamed wildly toward the back of the room. “Security, remove these people! Remove her!”
Two uniformed security officers approached, but they didn't walk toward me. Instead, they were accompanied by two men in dark suits wearing federal badges.
One of the agents stepped forward. “Flynn Vance?”
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Flynn backed away, his voice high-pitched. “Yes? What is this?”
“I’m Special Agent Miller with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,” the officer announced calmly. “We have an active warrant for your arrest regarding corporate wire fraud, embezzlement, and falsification of financial records. You have the right to remain silent.”
