Chapter 4 - The Rat in the Trap
By two o'clock in the afternoon, the fall of Hale Group was the lead story on every financial news network.
Daniel sat in his locked office, surrounded by half-empty whiskey glasses and frantically dialing every contact in his phone book. Investors who had laughed with him at golf clubs weeks ago refused to take his calls. Bank managers who had practically begged to handle his accounts now sent automated rejection emails.
The door to his office slammed open. Vivian burst in, her hair disheveled, tears smearing her mascara.
“Daniel! The bank froze my personal credit cards! I went to the boutique to return my coat and the manager said my name was on a central fraud watch list!”
“Shut up, Mother!” Daniel screamed, slamming his phone onto the desk so hard the screen shattered. “Do you realize what you’ve done? You dumped water on her! You talked to her like she was dirt! If you had just treated her like a human being, we would be sitting on a billionaire’s fortune right now!”
“Me?” Vivian shrieked back, her face twisting in rage. “You’re blaming me? You’re the one who was sleeping with Chloe while your wife was bleeding out in the hospital! You didn’t even go to the ICU!”
“Because you told me she was exaggerating!” Daniel roared.
Their screaming match was cut short by the sudden sound of heavy boots echoing in the corridor outside. The glass door to the executive suite swung open, and four officers from the Financial Crimes Division stepped inside, accompanied by two uniformed police officers.
“Daniel Hale?” the lead detective asked, pulling a warrant from his coat.
Daniel swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “Yes?”
“You are under arrest for corporate embezzlement, bank fraud, and conspiracy. Vivian Hale, you are under arrest for assault and criminal negligence.”
“You can’t arrest me!” Vivian screamed as an officer grabbed her wrists, snapping silver handcuffs around them. “I’m a Hale! Do you know who my family is?”
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“I know who your creditors are, ma’am,” the officer said coldly, pulling her toward the exit. “And right now, they own everything down to the shoes on your feet.”
As Daniel was handcuffed and led through his own trading floor, dozens of employees pulled out their phones, filming their former CEO as he was paraded past the cubicles in shame.
