Chapter 4 - The Ledger of Reckoning
The basement walk-in freezer of the restaurant was normally kept at a biting thirty-two degrees to preserve imported meats and seafood. On Christmas Eve, however, it served a different purpose.
Arthur Sterling sat shivering on an overturned plastic milk crate near boxes of frozen mozzarella, his designer silk tie undone, his teeth chattering violently against the damp cold. The heavy metal door clicked open, and the sharp beam of a flashlight cut through the dim interior.
Vince stepped inside, followed closely by James Moretti.
Moretti wasn't wearing his jacket or his apron anymore. He wore a crisp black cashmere sweater, his hands tucked casually into his pockets as he looked down at the terrified man huddled before him.
“A-Are you going to kill me?” Arthur stammered, his voice cracking with panic. “You can’t do this! I have rights! I’ll go to the police—I’ll tell them everything about your operations!”
Moretti let out a cold, humorless chuckle.
“The police in Boston, Arthur, know very well who runs the harbor and who owns the zoning boards,” Moretti replied smoothly, stepping closer. “And they also know that your signature is currently on three separate federal wire fraud documents and an offshore shell company ledger that my compliance team downloaded twenty minutes ago.”
Arthur’s face turned the color of ash. “You... you hacked my server?”
“I didn't have to hack anything,” Moretti said, his tone chillingly level. “Your junior accountant handed me the password keys on a silver platter the moment he realized you were planning to pin the embezzlement fall entirely on him.”
Moretti pulled a thick manila folder from under his arm and tossed it onto a metal prep table right in front of Arthur.
“Here is how this is going to work,” Moretti said, leaning down so his face was inches from Arthur's. “By eight o'clock tomorrow morning, your legal counsel will draft an emergency motion vacating your fraudulent divorce settlement with Grace. Every single cent of the real estate assets, corporate stocks, and hidden accounts you concealed will be transferred into a secured trust for Grace and Chloe.”
Arthur shook his head frantically. “No! That’s my money! That’s my life's work!”
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“That was money stolen from my municipal contracts and squeezed out of a woman who spent eighteen years raising your children while you chased cocktail waitresses,” Moretti whispered, his eyes flashing with a dangerous intensity. “You sign the papers, or I hand this folder directly to the federal prosecutor who has been itching to put white-collar frauds into maximum security for the last three years. Choose wisely, Arthur. You have until sunrise.”
Moretti turned on his heel, signaling Vince to follow. As the heavy freezer door slammed shut and locked behind them, Arthur buried his face in his trembling hands, realizing that his empire of deceit had finally collapsed into absolute ruin.
