Chapter 7 - The Masterclass in Ruin
Grant didn't sign the agreement at two o'clock.
He fled the boardroom like a scalded dog, running down the emergency stairs because he was too terrified to wait for the elevator. He thought he could buy time. He thought that if he could just reach his primary bank before the wires were cut, he could transfer the Cayman funds to an untraceable crypto wallet and flee to a non-extradition country.
He didn't make it past the lobby.
As Grant burst through the fire door into the ground-floor atrium, two federal agents in windbreakers with yellow *IRS-CID* lettering stepped into his path. Behind them were two NYPD detectives.
"Grant Mercer?" the lead agent asked.
Grant spun around to run back toward the stairs, but two more agents were already blocking the stairwell.
"You are under arrest pursuant to a federal warrant issued by the Southern District of New York," the agent said, grabbing Grant’s arm and forcing it behind his back with practiced, brutal efficiency. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
The click of the steel handcuffs echoed across the vast marble floor.
Across the street, Tessa Vale was walking out of the coffee shop holding a paper bag when she saw the flashing blue lights reflecting off the black granite of the Hayes Building. She stopped, horrified, as she saw Grant—her golden ticket, her private jet, her penthouse prince—being pushed down into the back of an unmarked federal cruiser, his face pressed against the glass, screaming words no one could hear.
Tessa turned to flee.
"Miss Vale?"
She froze. Standing behind her was a tall woman in a dark gray trench coat, holding a leather folder.
"Tessa Vale?"
"I don't know him!" Tessa shrieked hysterically. "Whatever he did, I had nothing to do with it! I was just his girlfriend! I was just an employee!"
"I am an investigator with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance," the woman said, handing her an envelope. "This is a jeopardy assessment and asset freeze notice. All accounts associated with Vale Media Enterprises have been locked pending an investigation into fraudulent conveyances. Furthermore, you are formally subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury tomorrow morning at nine."
Tessa dropped her coffee. The brown liquid splattered across her white designer sneakers.
"I don't have any money," Tessa sobbed, the reality crashing down on her like a collapsing ceiling. "My rent on my old apartment is due tomorrow! I gave up my lease to move into Crown Tower!"
"I suggest you call a shelter, Miss Vale," the investigator said without a shred of sympathy. "Or perhaps you can pawn that tennis bracelet. Though, if you do, the NYPD will arrest you for possession of stolen property before you leave the shop."
The investigator turned and walked away.
May you like
Tessa stood alone on the corner of 45th and Lexington, surrounded by millions of strangers rushing past, clutching a paper bag of cold muffins, with nowhere left to go.
***
