Chapter 2 - FROZEN ASSETS
The downtown office of Northstar Hospitality was quiet when I entered, save for Maya Chen pacing beside the boardroom table. She didn't offer empty platitudes. Instead, she pointed directly at the financial dossiers laid out under the halogen lights.
"The audit found seven unauthorized transfers across three shell accounts over the past five months," Maya explained, handing me the summary. "All routed through Brooke’s lifestyle consultancy firm, signed off using Daniel’s executive override. But that’s not the worst of it."
"Show me," I said, rubbing the faint mark on my wrist.
Maya slid over a copy of a vendor contract dated three weeks prior. "Daniel put Northstar’s flagship property—the downtown bistro—up as collateral for an unapproved high-risk acquisition. If Northstar misses one quarterly benchmark, the bistro defaults to an outside holding group called Apex Ventures."
I recognized the name immediately. Apex was managed by Vivian’s estranged brother, an opportunist who had spent a decade trying to gut our supply chain. Daniel hadn't just mismanaged funds; he had handed family rivals a loaded gun, entirely out of hubris.
Before I could speak, the elevator bell chimed. Daniel stepped into the reception area, flanked by Brooke, who was still wearing damp, hastily borrowed clothes and carrying an expression of raw spite.
"You really thought you could shut off my cards?" Brooke snapped, stepping toward me. "I went to buy a fresh coat and got declined at the register. Who gave you permission to lock my line?"
"I did," I replied evenly. "As majority shareholder and head of the premarital trust that underwrites Northstar’s corporate debt."
Daniel let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Elena, stop playing board games. You were a bookkeeper when I met you. You manage ledgers, not corporate strategy. Give Brooke her access back, pack your things from the house, and maybe I’ll agree to negotiate a private settlement before this gets ugly."
I picked up the collateral agreement and turned it toward him. "Did you think Apex wouldn't notify the primary trust holder when you pledged the flagship property?"
Daniel's smile vanished. His face drained of color as he glanced from the paper to Maya, then back to me.
"Where did you get that?" he whispered.
"From the bank you tried to bypass," Maya said crisply.
Brooke looked between her brother and me, clearly sensing the sudden shift in power. "Daniel, what is she talking about? Tell her to turn the cards back on!"
"Be quiet, Brooke," Daniel muttered, his voice shaking.
"I called an emergency board vote for midnight," I said. "As of this moment, Daniel, your executive powers are temporarily suspended pending the outcome of the forensic review. And Brooke, your company vehicle has been reported for repossession."
Brooke gasped, clutching her designer purse. "You can't do this! Mom owns the estate—she’ll cut you off completely!"
"Your mother lives off quarterly distributions generated by Northstar's catering operations," I said. "Distributions that require my explicit signature to clear."
Daniel took a step forward, his voice dropping into a desperate plea. "Elena, listen to me. We can talk about this at home. You don't understand the pressure I was under—"
"I understand numbers, Daniel," I said. "And yours don't add up."
As they stood frozen in the doorway, Maya’s phone buzzed with an urgent notification from the security desk downstairs. She checked the screen, her brow furrowing deeply.
May you like
"Elena," Maya said quietly, turning the screen toward me. "Vivian just arrived in the lobby. And she isn't alone. She brought Leo."
Hearing my seven-year-old son’s name in the middle of the night made my heart drop.
