Chapter 5 - The Collapse of the Firm
At 1:00 p.m., the managing partner of Vance, Sterling & Croft, Thomas Sterling, requested an urgent private meeting with me and Arthur at a neutral law office downtown.
When Thomas walked into the room, he looked like a man who had just survived a train wreck. He didn't even sit down before throwing a folder onto the table. "Gregory is out. As of twelve-thirty, the executive committee voted unanimously to strip him of his partnership status and expel him from the firm effective immediately."
"And the escrow discrepancies?" Arthur asked coolly.
"We are launching an internal audit and will reimburse the affected accounts from Gregory's seized capital shares," Thomas said, his voice tight with suppressed panic. "We have also contacted the District Attorney's office. We told them the firm will provide full cooperation regarding the domestic abuse charges. We want nothing to do with him, Helen. Please tell me those files aren't going to the federal regulators."
"As long as your firm ensures Gregory receives no legal assistance, no financial golden parachute, and no character references during his bail hearing, the files remain in Arthur's vault," I replied, my voice steady and unyielding.
Thomas nodded quickly. "He’s on his own. He tried to come into the office an hour ago to clear his desk, and we had building security throw him out into the street. The press was already waiting because of the police report leak. He’s ruined."
As Thomas left the room, Arthur turned to me, raising a glass of water in a silent toast. "That’s the first domino, Helen. A man like Gregory relies entirely on the shield of his status. Without it, he’s just another criminal facing a judge."
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"He still has the house," I noted, my mind already moving to the next phase of the strategy. "He locked Sarah and Maya out of their bank accounts this morning before he was fired. He’s trying to starve them out."
"He forgets that you possess the Miller family trust," Arthur reminded me with a gentle smile. "He can't touch a single dime of your resources. Let him try to play financial games; we’ll buy the mortgage out from under him by Friday."
