Chapter 2 - The Audit
The conference room on the thirty-second floor of Apex Holdings overlooked the glittering expanse of the city skyline, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the financial reports spread across the glass table.
It was Tuesday morning, less than forty-eight hours after the acquisition announcement, and the fallout had already exceeded even my legal team's projections.
The door swung open, and Marcus Vance stepped in, carrying a thick manila folder and two cups of black coffee. He set one down in front of me, his sharp eyes assessing me with a mixture of professional respect and lingering curiosity.
“Market closed down fifty-two percent for Williams Logistics today,” Marcus said without preamble, taking a seat opposite me. “Your father’s primary lenders are calling in their notes. They leveraged their entire commercial fleet to finance that expansion into the western sector six months ago.”
“I know,” I said, taking a slow sip of the coffee. “Julian advised that expansion. He thought physical scale was more important than data optimization.”
“Well, it's cost them their biggest client—us—and now the rest of the supply chain is backing out to avoid being associated with their insolvency. But that's not why I brought this file.” Marcus slid the manila folder across the glass. “When we ran the routine due diligence on your acquisition, our forensic accountants flagged a series of unusual asset transfers originating from Williams Logistics' subsidiary accounts over the last three years.”
I opened the folder. Inside were bank statements, property deeds, and corporate filings. My brow furrowed as I scanned the numbers. “These aren't operational expenses.”
“No,” Marcus said quietly. “They're personal loans, shell-company buyouts, and high-risk real estate investments. All of them funneled directly into private accounts held by Julian Williams. Your father didn't just hand him a healthy company. He was draining the core business to keep Julian's lifestyle afloat, and he was hiding the liability by inflating their receivables.”
My stomach tightened. I looked up at Marcus. “Does the board know?”
“Not yet. But under SEC regulations, since Apex now holds controlling interest in the logistics infrastructure adjacent to their previous contracts, our compliance team has to report financial irregularities if they impact our supply chain integrity.” Marcus leaned forward. “Your father isn't just facing bankruptcy, Liv. He’s facing a federal audit for corporate fraud.”
The silence in the room grew heavy. This wasn't just about a broken family dynamic or an old man's blinding favoritism anymore. My father hadn't merely miscalculated; he had knowingly broken the law to protect Julian from his own incompetence, and in doing so, he had signed his own financial death warrant.
My phone buzzed on the table. The caller ID flashed Mom.
I stared at the screen as it lit up, the harsh glow reflecting in the glass surface. For years, she had watched my father dismiss me, had joined in the quiet gaslighting, and had smiled while Julian paraded his unearned titles. Now, the shield was gone.
“Are you going to answer that?” Marcus asked.
I let the phone ring until the screen went dark.
May you like
“No,” I said, closing the manila folder. “Let them sweat a little longer. They're about to find out what it really means to have nothing.”
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