The silence that followed my voice was total, suffocating, and absolute.

By 8:00 AM, I was standing in the executive penthouse suite of Sterling Global Spires in downtown Los Angeles.

I hadn't slept a single minute. I had showered in the executive suite, changed into a bespoke dark navy suit, and summoned my chief legal counsel, Arthur Pendelton, along with my forensic financial team.

Arthur, a silver-haired veteran attorney who had managed my corporate affairs for fifteen years, laid three heavy leather binders on the glass conference table.

“Thane,” Arthur began, his expression grave. “The criminal charges filed by the LAPD are rock solid. District Attorney Vance has already reviewed the 4K footage you provided. Corrine and Sloan are being held at the Century Regional Detention Facility. Bail has been set at two million dollars each due to the severity of the charges—felony burglary, aggravated assault, grand larceny, and extortion.”

“Can they make bail?” I asked, staring out at the hazy morning skyline.

“Not without your help,” Arthur smiled coldly. “Corrine’s liquid assets total less than forty thousand dollars. Every account she uses is funded by the monthly stipend from your family trust. As for Sloan, her trust account was drained two months ago to pay off debts from a failed boutique fashion line in Beverly Hills.”

“Freeze the trust,” I ordered. “Execute Clause 14B immediately.”

Arthur paused, raising an eyebrow. “Clause 14B is the nuclear option, Thane. It triggers an automatic audit of all trust beneficiaries accused of moral turpitude or criminal acts against the estate. It will immediately revoke Corrine’s right to occupy the Aspen chalet, freeze her Mercedes lease, and trigger an immediate recall of all personal loans made to Sloan over the last five years.”

“Do it,” I said. “And what about the forged documents Alora mentioned?”

Arthur pulled a tablet from his briefcase and slid it across the table. “Our forensic IT team intercepted three outgoing emails sent from Sloan’s IP address at 1:15 AM—just before they cut your home security lines. She sent fraudulent power-of-attorney documents to your primary private bank, Swiss Reserve Trust, attempting to transfer fourteen million dollars in bearer stock certificates to an account in the Cayman Islands.”

“Who notarized the documents?”

“A private notary named Julian Croft,” Arthur replied. “He’s been on Corrine’s personal payroll for years. He stamped the documents at midnight, claiming you signed them in his presence.”

“Contact District Attorney Vance,” I commanded, my voice dropping into an icy cadence. “Add wire fraud, identity theft, and corporate forgery to the indictment. And tell Croft that if he doesn't surrender his notary commission and turn state’s evidence against Corrine within two hours, I will file a civil fraud suit that will leave him bankrupt by nightfall.”

“Understood,” Arthur said, taking notes rapidly. “What about the press? TMZ and the Los Angeles Times are already calling. Someone leaked the mugshots of Corrine and Sloan.”

I walked over to the window, watching the morning traffic crawl along the freeway far below.

“Do not issue a corporate PR cover-up,” I said flatly. “Release the official LAPD booking reports to the press. Issue a formal statement from Sterling Global Spires stating that Corrine and Sloan Sterling have no affiliation with the company, and that the firm fully supports the criminal prosecution of all parties involved in the home invasion at Ocean View Drive.”