Chapter 7 - The Reckoning for Patricia and Vanessa
While Nathan began serving his fifteen-year sentence at a federal facility in upstate New York, the consequences for his accomplices unfolded with terrifying speed.
A month after Nathan’s plea deal was finalized, I sat in my newly renovated corporate office on the top floor of Vanderbilt Development—formerly Whitmore Development—overlooking the Manhattan skyline.
Arthur Sterling stepped into the office, holding two coffee cups and a legal update folder.
"How are the initial restructuring numbers looking?" Arthur asked, setting a cup on my desk.
"Better than expected," I smiled, reviewing the financial projections. "Once we cleared out Nathan’s shell companies and paid off the subcontractors, the Riverfront high-rise project bounced back immediately. The city council approved the master permit yesterday afternoon."
"I never doubted you for a second, Claire," Arthur said, taking a seat. "By the way, Evelyn just sent over the final report on Patricia and Vanessa."
I set my pen down. "What happened?"
"Patricia was sentenced yesterday afternoon," Arthur reported, shaking his head with a grim smile. "Given her prior history of financial fraud and her active role in the extortion livestream, the judge gave her three years in state prison, plus full restitution orders for the sixty thousand dollars she embezzled from the corporate charity account."
"And her online followers?" I asked dryly.
"They completely turned on her," Arthur laughed softly. "The moment the full security video was released showing her filming you while tied to the truck, her social media accounts were flooded with tens of thousands of messages calling her a monster. Her account was permanently banned for broadcasting domestic violence."
I took a slow sip of my coffee. "And Vanessa?"
"Vanessa’s story is almost poetic," Arthur said, pulling a document from his folder. "Once she realized Nathan had zero money and was heading to federal prison, she tried to file a palimony lawsuit against his estate to claim child support. But the court-ordered paternity test came back three days ago."
I raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"The baby isn't Nathan's," Arthur revealed with a sharp grin. "The father is a nightclub promoter from Miami she was seeing six months ago. Nathan ruined his entire marriage, his business, and his life for a baby that wasn't even his."
A long, quiet silence settled over the sunlit office.
I looked out the window at the bustling streets of Manhattan below. Eleven years of my life had been spent supporting a man who believed he was a king, only to discover he was nothing more than a arrogant pawn manipulated by his own greed and vanity.
"Where is Vanessa now?" I asked quietly.
May you like
"She moved back to her parents' house in Florida," Arthur said. "She’s working at a local boutique. The diamond earrings she tried to steal were recovered by the sheriff’s office and are back in your safe deposit box."
"Good," I said, leaning back in my leather chair. "My grandmother would be pleased to know her earrings are back where they belong."
