Chapter 9 - The Final Audit
Two miles away, inside a sterile federal holding facility, Victor Vale sat across a metal table from his court-appointed defense attorney.
The spreadsheet in front of him wasn't complicated. It was a complete itemization of every offshore account, every forged signature, and every municipal bribe he had accumulated over twenty years.
“They’ve seized everything, Victor,” the attorney said, rubbing his temples. “The shipping licenses, the warehouses, the trust funds. The federal prosecutor isn't even offering a plea. They have Damian Ross’s legal team backing the state’s evidence.”
Victor stared at the glossy photographs clipped to the top of the file—pictures of his daughter Saraphina boarding a commercial flight out of Zurich after her European accounts were locked.
“Damian didn't care about the money,” Victor muttered, his voice cracking with bitter realization. “He never cared about the docks.”
“Then what did he care about?”
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Victor didn't answer. He remembered the look in Damian’s eyes the night he had called from the hospital—the look of a man who had finally realized that the greatest threat to his empire wasn't his enemies on the outside, but the rot he had allowed to settle inside his own home.
“He didn't destroy my business,” Victor whispered, staring blankly at the metal table. “He just took back what was his.”
