Chapter 4 - The Scramble
By noon, the reality of the situation had begun to settle in, but only in the form of denial. The family had gathered at Frank’s house, the very place where they had cast Mackenzie out just days prior.
"He can’t do this," Susan, the matriarch, insisted, pacing the floor. "He’s a nobody! He’s just a... a wrench-turner. He’s probably just trying to scare us into begging."
Isabella sat on the sofa, her divorce papers sitting on the coffee table. She felt a strange, creeping coldness. She knew what the family didn't: she knew that Nicholas had indeed built this company from nothing. She had just spent years convincing herself that he was a trophy to be managed, a tool to be used.
"I'll call him," Isabella said, grabbing her phone.
She dialed his number. It rang once, then went straight to a generic voicemail. She tried again. And again. Finally, a text message pinged back, not from Nicholas, but from a law firm.
“All communication regarding employment, company assets, or personal property must be directed through our offices. Any further attempt to contact Mr. Nicholas will be viewed as harassment.”
"He’s serious," Isabella whispered, the color draining from her face.
"Serious?" Mark slammed his fist into the wall. "He’s sabotaging us! Dad, he’s cutting off our accounts! My corporate card just got declined at the grocery store!"
"Mine too," Frank muttered, his phone shaking in his hand. "Everything is gone. He’s locked us out of the banking portals. How does he have the password for the offshore accounts?"
They didn't know that Nicholas had been auditing them for months. He had seen every unauthorized expense, every fake invoice, and every bribe Frank had used to keep his friends in high-paying positions. The "handyman" hadn't just been working; he had been building a case.
As the sun began to set, the reality hit them harder than any winter wind. They weren't just unemployed; they were being sued. A process server pulled up to the driveway, delivering legal notices to each of them.
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"He’s not just firing us," Frank whispered, reading the document with trembling fingers. "He’s coming for the assets. He’s claiming damages for embezzlement."
The house, the cars, the jewelry—it was all tied to the money they had been stealing from Apex. And Nicholas was taking it all back.
