Chapter 5 - The Final Audit
Two weeks later, the Voss family empire was officially dismantled.
The Chelsea real estate portfolio was absorbed into Vance Maritime Holdings at a fraction of its market value, Arthur Voss announced his permanent retirement under pressure from his board of directors, and Bianca’s social media accounts were permanently deleted after advertisers dropped her en masse.
I sat in my corner office at Vance Ventures in downtown London, reviewing the asset redistribution files.
The door opened quietly, and Julian walked in, carrying two glasses of sparkling cider to celebrate the finalization of the corporate restructuring.
“Well,” Julian smiled, setting a glass on my desk before leaning against the mahogany bookshelf. “The auditors have finished going through the Voss family accounts. Turns out Arthur wasn't just leveraged—he was hiding three million in unpaid tax liabilities in a Swiss subsidiary.”
“Are you surprised?” I asked, taking a sip of the cold cider. “People who spend their whole lives projecting perfection usually have the dirtiest basements.”
“True,” Julian laughed, walking over and resting his hands on my shoulders, massaging the tension from my neck. “So... what’s next on the agenda for our chief strategist? Do you want to take a vacation? The Mediterranean is lovely this time of year.”
“No vacations yet,” I smiled, turning around in my chair to face him. “I’m auditing a shipping conglomerate in Zurich next week. They’ve been misreporting their environmental compliance metrics.”
May you like
Julian grinned, shaking his head with deep, unreserved admiration. “God, I love you. You’re terrifying.”
“I’m just thorough,” I corrected lightly.
