Chapter 9: The Morning It Fell Apart for Him
Patricia moved fast.
By 2 p.m.
that afternoon, she had filed an emergency amended motion with Judge Calloway's court, attaching Forsythe's pre-restructuring account records as exhibits.
By 3:30, Judge Calloway had signed an expanded freeze order covering Voss Capital Holdings in its entirety and had referred the matter to the U.S.
Attorney's office.
Elena was sitting in a hotel conference room with Patricia's Miami associate, a brisk woman named Sonia, when Patricia called with the update.
"The referral went through," Patricia said.
"The U.S.
Attorney's office has been in contact with the FBI field office.
Forsythe's SEC complaint has been formally escalated.
They're treating this as a coordinated financial fraud investigation."
"What does that mean for Julian right now?"
"Right now it means his attorney received a call from the U.S.
Attorney's office approximately forty minutes ago.
Douglas Mercer is a smart man.
He knows what that call means." A pause.
"Julian knows too."
Sonia was watching Elena across the table.
She slid a legal pad and pen across the surface without being asked.
Elena's phone buzzed.
Julian.
She held it up so Sonia could see the screen.
"Answer it," Sonia said quietly.
"Put it on speaker.
Don't agree to anything."
She answered.
"Elena." Julian's voice was different.
The smoothness was gone entirely.
What was underneath it was something she had never quite heard from him before.
"I need you to stop this."
"Julian, all communication should go through —"
"Stop." His voice cracked at the edge.
"Elena.
Please.
I am asking you as your husband.
Whatever Forsythe told you, whatever he showed you — he has his own agenda.
He was terminated for cause.
He's been trying to damage Aldren for over a year.
Those records he gave you are incomplete.
They're out of context."
"Then your attorney can explain that to the judge."
"A judge." A short, disbelieving sound.
"You've handed this to the FBI, Elena.
Do you understand what you've done?
This isn't about us anymore.
This isn't about the money or the property or even Chloe.
If this investigation goes forward —"
"It's already going forward."
Silence.
"I could lose everything," he said.
"Yes," Elena said.
"You could."
Another silence.
Longer.
When he spoke again, the calculation was back — she could hear it settling into place, the way it always did when he shifted tactics.
"What about Maya?
Have you thought about what this does to her?
Her father investigated, charged — her name attached to this publicly —"
"Don't."
"She's ten years old, Elena —"
"I said don't." Her voice was quiet and completely flat.
"Maya's name is not a bargaining chip.
You don't get to use her."
"I'm not using her.
I'm asking you to think about the consequences —"
"I am thinking about them.
I've been thinking about nothing else for weeks." She looked at Sonia across the table.
"I'm also thinking about Margaret Ellison.
She's seventy-four years old and she has four thousand dollars left.
You took the rest." A pause.
"I'm going to hang up now, Julian.
Call Douglas Mercer."
She ended the call.
Her hand was steady.
Sonia looked at her for a moment.
"You did well," she said.
"He'll try something else," Elena said.
"Probably." Sonia picked up her own phone.
"But the freeze is in place, the referral is filed, and Forsythe's records are already in federal hands.
There isn't much left for him to try."
Elena nodded slowly.
She thought about the note under her door.
The grey jacket.
The man who had been watching Julian for thirteen months because he couldn't let it go.
She thought about what it cost to carry something like that alone for that long.
She picked up the legal pad and wrote: *Send Forsythe a copy of the expanded freeze order when it's public record.*
She pushed it back across the table to Sonia.
Then she called her sister.
"I need to talk to Maya," she said.
"Is everything all right?"
May you like
"It will be," Elena said.
"I just need to hear her voice."
