Chapter 6 - The Noose Tightens
The morning after the Gala, the fallout was catastrophic.
The Sterling Group officially pulled out of the joint venture, releasing a public statement citing "ethical and financial irregularities" within Vale Enterprises. By noon, Adrian's stock had plummeted to zero. His creditors, panicked by the news, began calling in their loans simultaneously.
Adrian sat in his living room, his head in his hands. The penthouse, which had once felt like a trophy of his success, now felt like a gilded cage.
Celeste was frantically packing her designer suitcases in the bedroom.
"You promised me we would be billionaires!" she screamed, throwing a pair of expensive shoes into a trunk. "You told me she was a nobody! Now your accounts are frozen, my bag is a laughingstock on social media, and the bank is threatening to evict us!"
"Shut up, Celeste!" Adrian roared, pacing the floor. "I’m trying to think! I still have the title to this penthouse. I transferred it to your name, remember? The Vance family can't touch it if it legally belongs to you. We can sell it, take the cash, and leave the country."
Before Celeste could answer, the front door buzzer rang.
Adrian rushed to the door, hoping it was his lawyer with good news. Instead, he opened it to find two federal marshals accompanied by Thomas, the Vance family's security chief, and a team of movers.
"Adrian Vale? Celeste Monroe?" one of the marshals asked, showing his badge. "We are here to execute a federal asset seizure and eviction warrant."
"What?" Adrian yelled, trying to block the doorway. "You can't do that! This property is in Celeste’s name! It's private property!"
Thomas stepped forward, holding a tablet. "Actually, Mr. Vale, the transfer of this property has been declared null and void by a federal judge. The funds used to purchase this penthouse were traced directly to a trust fund registered under Evelyn Vance's name, which you illegally accessed by forging her signature on a power of attorney three years ago. That constitutes bank fraud, identity theft, and grand larceny."
"I didn't forge anything!" Adrian lied, his voice cracking.
"We have the forensic handwriting analysis, the IP addresses of the electronic signatures traced to your office computer, and the testimony of your former CFO, who has happily agreed to cooperate with the federal prosecutors in exchange for immunity," Thomas replied calmly. "You have thirty minutes to gather your personal belongings. Any luxury items purchased using funds derived from the Vance trust—including Ms. Monroe's jewelry, clothing, and yes, even her counterfeit bags—must remain on the premises as seized assets."
Celeste let out a high-pitched shriek. "You can't take my clothes! You can't take my jewelry!"
"We can, and we will," the marshal said, stepping past Adrian. "Movers, begin packing the designated items."
Within twenty minutes, Adrian and Celeste were escorted out of the building and onto the street, holding nothing but a couple of cheap duffel bags containing their basic toiletries and ordinary clothes. The doorman, who had once bowed deeply to Adrian, looked away in disgust as they passed.
"This is your fault!" Celeste screamed at Adrian, throwing her duffel bag at his chest. "You're a loser! You ruined my life!"
"My life?" Adrian shouted back, his face red with fury. "I lost my company! I lost everything because of you! If you hadn't insisted on parading that damn bag in front of everyone, they might not have looked so closely!"
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"Don't blame me, you broke bastard!" Celeste yelled. She flagged down a passing cab, climbed in, and slammed the door, leaving Adrian standing alone on the sidewalk, the cold wind whipping through his hair.
He looked up at the towering penthouse, realizing he had absolutely nowhere to go.
