Part 11: The Cellmate’s Secret
The encrypted notification from Marcus flashed brightly across my tablet screen: Urgent: Major incident at federal holding facility involving Dominic’s cellblock.
I tapped the screen to open the secure briefing file while gently rocking Grace in her bassinet to keep her sleeping peacefully.
According to Marcus’s intelligence source inside the federal detention center, Dominic had spent his first three days in protective custody pacing his cell like a trapped animal, screaming at guards, and demanding special treatment due to his high-net-worth status.
Instead of receiving VIP accommodations, he had been assigned to a medium-security holding block alongside white-collar criminals and corporate fraudsters.
His cellmate was a disgraced former hedge fund manager named Julian Thorne—a man who had once been one of Dominic’s fiercest corporate rivals in the venture capital markets.
Julian hadn't been placed there by coincidence.
According to the report, Julian had spent years gathering confidential intelligence on Dominic’s illicit financial network before his own arrest.
And he had used their time together in the cell to strike a very dark, very dangerous bargain.
The door to my office opened, and Leo walked in, holding a printed transcript of an intercepted phone call made from the prison visiting booth.
“You’re not going to believe what just happened at the detention center,” Leo said, tossing the transcript onto the mahogany desk.
“Dominic’s cellmate isn’t just a random inmate.
Julian Thorne was secretly working with Kronos Capital all along.”
I picked up the transcript and scanned the highlighted text.
“If you want to avoid twenty years in a maximum-security penitentiary,” Julian had told Dominic during their late-night conversation, “you need to sign over the remaining equity of your undisclosed offshore holding accounts in the Bahamas to Kronos Capital. Otherwise, I’ll hand over the audio recordings of you bragging about bribing municipal inspectors to the federal prosecutor before the morning briefing.”
I looked up at Leo, a faint, ironic smile touching my lips.
“He’s selling out his own hidden assets just to save himself from a harsher sentence?”
“Worse,” Leo smirked, pulling up a chair.
“Dominic tried to call his mother from the inmate phone to authorize the transfer, but Olivia’s phone number had already been disconnected due to unpaid bills.
He has literally no one left to turn to.”
“What about Brooke?” I asked.
“Brooke’s father filed an immediate annulment on grounds of fraud and misrepresentation the moment they left the cathedral,” Leo replied.
“Brooke has already packed her bags, hired her own high-priced divorce lawyers, and is currently giving exclusive interviews to tabloid magazines exposing every lie Dominic ever told her in exchange for cash.”
The poetic justice of the situation was staggering.
Dominic had spent years using people as stepping stones to reach the apex of social power, only to find himself completely abandoned by every single person who had ever profited from his ambition.
“Let Julian squeeze him dry,” I instructed Leo, sliding the transcript back across the desk.
“Let Dominic experience what it feels like to be completely stripped of everything he stole.
Once Kronos Capital finishes dismantling his remaining hidden accounts, have our corporate litigation team file the final summary judgment for the family trust.”
“Will do,” Leo nodded, standing up to leave.
“By the way, there’s a press conference scheduled outside the federal courthouse tomorrow morning.
The district attorney is officially announcing the multi-count federal indictment against Dominic Vance.”
“Will I be attending?” I asked.
“Not physically,” Leo smiled knowingly.
“But our corporate PR team is releasing the official statement from Sinclair & Black right as the cameras roll.
The entire financial district will know that the Vance Group has officially reverted to its rightful ownership.”
As Leo closed the office door behind him, I looked down at Grace, who opened her bright eyes and let out a tiny, happy gurgle.
I picked her up, holding her close against my chest as I walked over to the tall windows overlooking the city skyline.
The sun was breaking through the autumn clouds, bathing the downtown towers in a brilliant, golden light.
Your father wanted a son to carry on a legacy built on sand, I thought quietly, kissing the top of her soft head.
May you like
Instead, he left an empire behind for his daughter.
And tomorrow, the final chapter of his downfall begins.
