Chapter 5 - The Walls Closing In
The silence in the conference room was absolute, suffocating, and beautiful.
Bennett stared at the documents Miriam had thrown onto the table as if they were venomous snakes.
His attorney, Richard, looked confused, quickly grabbing the papers to read them.
As Richard's eyes scanned the highlighted wire transfers and offshore account numbers, his expression shifted from arrogant annoyance to utter horror.
"Bennett," Richard hissed, turning to his client. "What the hell is this?"
Bennett opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He looked at me, a desperate panic finally breaking through his composed facade.
"Tessa... where did you get these?" he choked out.
"From the locked drawer you thought was so clever," I replied coldly. "You really shouldn't keep evidence of federal fraud in a home you bought with your wife."
"These are... these are fake!" Bennett stammered, standing up abruptly. "She forged them! She's crazy!"
Miriam didn't even blink.
"They are official bank records obtained by a licensed private investigator and verified by a forensic accountant. Furthermore, we took the liberty of looking into Victoria Sterling. The mother of your... other child."
At the mention of Victoria's name, Bennett visibly flinched.
"Leave her out of this," he snarled, pointing a shaking finger at me. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"Oh, but she does," Miriam countered smoothly. "She is listed as the sole proprietor of Sterling Consulting LLC. Which means she is the direct beneficiary of the embezzled funds. She signed the checks, Bennett. That makes her an accomplice to corporate fraud."
Bennett sank back into his chair, the fight completely draining out of him.
He was a cornered animal realizing there was no way out.
"Here is what is going to happen," Miriam said, leaning forward and folding her hands on the table.
"We are not taking $150,000. My client is taking the house, full custody of her daughter, and 80% of all legitimate marital assets."
"You can't do that!" Bennett yelled, slamming his hand on the table. "That will bankrupt me!"
"If you refuse," I said quietly, leaning in so he could hear every syllable clearly, "I will send this entire file to the CEO of your firm. And then, I will send it to the FBI. You won't just be bankrupt, Bennett. You and Victoria will both go to federal prison. And who will raise your precious son Leo when both his parents are behind bars?"
It was a cruel thing to say.
But dealing with a monster required a bit of monstrosity.
Bennett stared at me, completely terrified.
He was finally seeing the woman he had created. The woman he had broken and forced to rebuild herself from the jagged pieces he left behind.
"You're a monster," he whispered.
"No," I replied, standing up and picking up my purse. "I'm a mother protecting her child. You chose Victoria. You chose Leo. Now you get to pay for them."
We left him sitting there in the frozen silence of his ruined life.
May you like
As I walked out of the law firm and stepped into the bright afternoon sun, I took a deep breath.
For the first time since Maya was born, the air felt clean.
