Chapter 5 - The Forensic Audit of Vivienne Sterling
“What did they steal, Julian?” Daniel asked, his voice low and dangerous.
“When you married Vivienne fourteen months ago,” Julian explained, “you established the Sophie Vance Irrevocable Healthcare & Education Trust, endowing it with $5 million under Vivienne’s secondary custodial signature for emergency disbursements.”
Julian tapped the screen, illuminating dozens of fraudulent bank transactions executed while Daniel was traveling:
The Luxury Shopping Skimming: $420,000 wired to luxury boutiques in Paris and Milan for Vivienne’s private wardrobe.
The Real Estate Transfer: $650,000 diverted to pay off the defaulted mortgage on Margaret Sterling’s private country estate in Virginia.
The Medical Fraud: Vivienne had systematically canceled Sophie’s private nursing visits and specialized respiratory therapy, pocketing the $18,000 monthly insurance stipends for herself.
“Vivienne knew that if Sophie’s asthma became severe enough to require long-term institutionalized care,” Julian said, “she could petition the probate court for permanent guardianship of the trust capital while keeping Sophie out of your sight.”
Daniel stared at the balance sheets, feeling the last remaining shred of mercy inside his heart turn to diamond-hard ash.
They had treated his five-year-old daughter like an inconvenient obstacle on a balance sheet.
“Julian,” Daniel commanded quietly.
May you like
“Yes, Daniel?”
“Execute the immediate revocation of all spousal privileges, freeze every account bearing the Sterling name, and notify the precinct that the search warrant on the Vance estate is active.”
