Chapter 5 - The Asset Freeze
The fallout was instantaneous.
By 2:00 AM, the penthouse was empty of guests. Richard had barricaded himself in his home office. Eleanor sat at the marble kitchen island, an untouched espresso going cold in front of her.
Her phone buzzed. It was a Bloomberg news alert. RUMOR: Family Schism Threatens Dynastic IPO. Shares Expected to Tumble.
She opened her banking app to book a 6:00 AM flight to Zurich, where her private servers were held. She typed in her black American Express details.
DECLINED.
Eleanor frowned. She tried her Chase Sapphire.
DECLINED. ACCOUNT FROZEN - PENDING REVIEW.
She stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the tiles. She walked to Richard's office and tried the handle. Locked.
"Richard," she said through the heavy mahogany wood.
"You declared war, El," Richard's voice was muffled but smug. "My father just called his friends at the SEC. An 'anonymous tip' about insider trading on your personal accounts. Everything in your name is frozen."
Eleanor closed her eyes. The scent of unburnt tobacco drifted from under the door—Richard's nervous habit when he was stressed. He was chewing on a cigar.
"You can't freeze joint accounts without a judge," she said.
"I can when Vanguard Holdings claims you embezzled from them," he replied. "You have nothing, Eleanor. No money, no flight, no leverage."
May you like
Eleanor walked back to the kitchen. She picked up her ruined phone case. Vanguard Holdings again. A shell company designed to hide a mistress, now weaponized to bankrupt a wife.
She needed to see the family lawyer.
