Chapter 2 - The Audit of Dawn
The penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park was dead silent at 4:15 AM.
Mariana Escalante sat behind a minimalist mahogany desk, her laptop glow casting a cold blue light across her face. The red handprint on her cheek had swollen into a dark, angry bruise, but she hadn't bothered to ice it. Pain was just data now—a reminder of what happens when you let parasites feed too long at your table.
Her phone buzzed violently against the wood. It was Victor Vance, her father’s chief legal counsel.
"The freeze orders are locked across thirty-six international jurisdictions, Mariana," Victor said without preamble, his voice tight with professional awe. "Every single asset tied to Andrew’s corporate entity, Vance Global Logistics, has been crippled. His revolving credit lines? Voided. His personal trust funds? Secured under your maiden name. By 9:00 AM when the markets open, he won't even be able to swipe his Amex for a cup of coffee."
"And the mansion?" Mariana asked, her voice calm, devoid of emotion.
"Owned outright by Escalante Holdings," Victor replied. "Andrew signed the collateral papers two years ago thinking he was pulling a fast one on a minor subsidiary. He had no idea he was signing over the deed to your family's primary holding trust."
Mariana closed her laptop with a soft snap. "Let him wake up in his little illusion of power. Let him try to call his investors. I want to watch him figure out that he's standing on a glass floor."
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"Your father is on his way up," Victor added. "He wants to make sure you're intact."
"Tell him I'm fine," Mariana stood up, walking toward the floor-to-ceiling windows to watch the first pale streaks of dawn bleed over the Manhattan skyline. "Tell him to bring the final foreclosure notice. We're serving breakfast early today."
