Chapter 6 - The Federal Audit
Two weeks later, Abigail was discharged from the hospital, returning to her father’s spacious home in Cincinnati with her leg securely in a lightweight orthopedic cast and a pair of professional crutches.
While her physical body healed, the legal machine behind her was moving with terrifying, unstoppable speed.
Federal prosecutors didn't just stop at Derek’s arrest. Armed with the comprehensive financial data logs Abigail had secretly backed up to her cloud storage before her phone was confiscated months ago, the FBI’s financial crimes division launched a full-scale forensic audit of NexusSphere Logistics and every shell company associated with the Lawson family.
It turned out Derek’s financial corruption went far deeper than anyone had imagined.
Not only had he embezzled Abigail’s four-hundred-thousand-dollar inheritance, but he had also taken out multiple fraudulent business loans using forged signatures under Abigail’s maiden name, listing her as the primary guarantor. If the fraud hadn't been exposed, Abigail would have been held legally liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate debt when the startup inevitably collapsed.
On a rainy Tuesday morning, Abigail sat at her father’s mahogany dining table, reviewing documents with her lead attorney, Katherine Vance-Montgomery—a high-powered federal litigator specializing in corporate fraud and domestic abuse recovery.
"The asset seizure warrants were executed this morning, Abigail," Katherine said, sliding a thick legal summary report across the table. "Every single asset belonging to Derek and his parents has been frozen. Their bank accounts, their cars, the gated community house in Indianapolis—all of it has been seized by the federal government as proceeds of financial fraud."
Abigail scanned the asset liquidation schedule. "What about Margaret and Walter?"
"They're facing federal conspiracy and accessory charges," Katherine replied calmly. "Margaret tried to claim she didn't know the funds were embezzled, but our team recovered text messages where she explicitly instructed Derek on how to hide your inheritance from your tax filings. She’s looking at five to ten years in federal prison."
Katherine paused, leaning forward with a sympathetic smile.
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"And as for your divorce proceedings, because of the overwhelming evidence of domestic battery, financial exploitation, and premeditated confinement, the judge granted an emergency summary dissolution. You are legally single, your maiden name has been fully restored across all federal databases, and every cent of your stolen inheritance is currently being repatriated back to your personal trust."
Abigail closed the folder. She looked out the window at the blooming spring garden outside her father’s house. The dark cloud that had suffocated her for three agonizing years had finally blown away.
