Chapter 6 - Secrets in the Ledger
The next morning, Manhattan was buzzing with the scandal. Headlines across major entertainment and business portals splashed Amy's face alongside Maverick's: *"BRIDAL BLOWOUT: HEIRESS EXPOSES GROOM AT THE ALTAR!"* and *"BENNETT FINANCIAL SHARES PLUMMET AFTER WEDDING FIASCO."*
Amy sat in the conference room of her design firm, Sterling Global, sipping dark coffee. Beside her sat her chief legal adviser, Marcus Vance, an older man with sharp grey eyes who had been her father's closest confidant.
"You handled yourself remarkably well yesterday, Amy," Marcus said, placing a thick manila folder on the glass table. "Your father would have been proud of your strength."
"Thank you, Marcus," Amy said quietly. "Now tell me... how bad is it?"
Marcus opened the folder. "The prenuptial agreement Maverick tried to get you to sign contained hidden covenants. If you had signed it, Bennett Financial would have had immediate power of attorney over Sterling Global's foreign licensing rights."
"Julian Bennett showed me the offshore transfer records last night," Amy said. "They were desperate for my father's green patents to cover a three hundred million dollar deficit."
Marcus paused, looking surprised. "Julian Bennett showed you that? Julian is Arthur's eldest son. Why would he expose his own family?"
"Julian isn't like them," Amy said firmly, remembering the fierce resolve in Julian's dark eyes. "He hates what his father has turned the firm into. He wants justice as much as I do."
Right on cue, the double glass doors of the conference room slid open, and Julian walked in, dressed in a sharp charcoal grey suit, carrying a encrypted flash drive.
"Good morning, Marcus," Julian said politely, shaking the lawyer's hand before taking a seat next to Amy. "I brought the internal financial audits from Bennett Financial."
"How did you get these so fast?" Marcus asked, eyeing Julian with cautious curiosity.
"I still hold a fifteen percent voting stake in the holding company," Julian explained, sliding the flash drive across the table. "I triggered an emergency shareholder request at six this morning, citing the reputational damage caused by yesterday's events. My father was too panicked to stop the disclosure."
Amy leaned in close to Julian. "What did you find?"
Julian plugged the drive into Marcus's laptop. A series of complex accounting spreadsheets filled the large wall monitor.
"Look here," Julian pointed to a row of highlighted entries. "Over the past eighteen months, Arthur has been transferring funds into a firm called 'Vanguard Horizon.' On paper, it's a real estate holding company in the Caymans. In reality, it's a shell company controlled entirely by Maverick."
Amy's eyes widened. "Maverick?"
"Yes," Julian said coldly. "Maverick wasn't just the spoiled playboy son. He was active in setting up the siphoning scheme. He used company funds to pay off personal debts, fund extravagant parties, and bribe individuals... including Penelope Cross."
At that very moment, Amy's secretary knocked on the door and stuck her head in. "Amy... I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's someone in the lobby demanding to see you. She says it's urgent."
Amy exchanged a glance with Julian. "Who is it?"
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"It's Penelope," the secretary replied nervously. "And she looks terrible."
Amy stood up, her posture rigid and icy. "Show her into my office. I think it's time my former best friend gave me some real answers."
