Chapter 3 - The Mother's Reckoning
While Daniel was being escorted out of the corporate tower, his mother Margaret was facing her own nightmare at her newly renovated downtown condo.
At eleven o'clock that morning, three moving vans pulled up to the curb outside her luxury building, accompanied by a court-appointed sheriff and a team of legal auditors led by Arthur Sterling’s junior associate, Victoria.
Margaret came rushing out into the lobby in her silk bathrobe, her hair in rollers, screaming at the doorman.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Margaret shrieked, waving her manicured hands. "Call the police! These people are trespassing!"
Victoria walked up to her, holding a thick stack of certified court orders bearing the seal of the Cook County Circuit Court.
"Mrs. Margaret Vance?" Victoria asked coolly.
"Yes! Who are you?!"
"I am representing Mrs. Claire Mercer," Victoria stated, handing her the top document. "This is an emergency asset freezing order and an injunction for civil recovery. Because the funds used to purchase your condo's custom renovations, Italian marble, designer furniture, and high-end appliances were directly traced to embezzled corporate capital from Mercer Tech, this property has been placed under federal receivership."
Margaret’s face went white. She clutched her silk robe to her throat. "What?! You can't take my home! Daniel gave me that money!"
"Daniel stole that money, Mrs. Vance," Victoria corrected her without an ounce of pity. "And under state asset forfeiture laws, any property acquired through the proceeds of illegal activity is subject to immediate seizure. The moving crew behind me is here to repossess every piece of furniture, art, and jewelry purchased with Mercer Tech funds over the last two years."
"No! No!" Margaret screamed, lunging toward the moving men who were already rolling padded dollies through the lobby doors. "You can't take my velvet sofas! You can't take my oil paintings! Daniel! Call Daniel!"
"Mr. Vance is currently in holding at the 1st District Police Station being processed on felony fraud charges, Mrs. Vance," Victoria added smoothly. "I suggest you hire a criminal attorney. Your initial arraignment for possession of stolen property is scheduled for Thursday morning."
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Neighbors began gathering in the lobby, pulling out their smartphones to record the spectacle as movers carried out Margaret’s custom marble coffee tables, imported rugs, and designer clothing wardrobe.
Margaret collapsed onto a lobby bench, sobbing hysterically into her hands, her carefully crafted image of high-society elegance completely shattered in front of the entire neighborhood.
