Chapter 5 - The Trap is Set
At 8:30 AM, the storm outside had cleared, leaving a crisp, blinding Chicago sunlight to flood the penthouse. The corporate world was waking up, unaware that a counter-offensive was quietly being launched from a kitchen island.
"If we send these digital footprints directly to the SEC, it will take weeks for them to untangle the shell companies," Laura explained, tapping her pen against her notepad. "By then, Vance and your ex-wife will have liquidated the offshore assets and fled to a non-extradition country."
"Then we don't go to the SEC first," Robert said, a cold, hard glint returning to his eyes—the same look that had built his empire from nothing. "We force Marcus into a corner. We use his own greed against him."
"How?"
"Marcus is arrogant. He thinks I’m completely cornered and broken. I’m going to call an emergency board meeting for noon, claiming I’m ready to step down and sign over corporate control to save my personal assets."
Laura’s eyes widened slightly. "He'll smell blood in the water. He'll want to be there in person to watch you fall."
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"Exactly. And when he walks into my office, he won't be meeting just a desperate CEO. He'll be walking straight into an audit trap backed by your research and federal oversight."
Laura stared at him for a long moment, evaluating the risk. Slowly, a fierce, confident smile touched her lips. "Let's do it."
