Chapter 12 - THE PANIC OF THE YOUNG BILLIONAIRE
At 6:00 a.m.
on Monday morning,
Nathan Vance awoke with a severe headache and a sense of deep, unexplainable unease.
He walked down the grand staircase of his mansion,
shouting for the servants to bring him a fresh cup of coffee.
But the massive house was completely silent,
the kitchen dark and empty as if everyone had suddenly vanished into thin air.
He reached for his expensive smartphone,
intending to call his mother to see what was causing the unusual delay.
As he unlocked the device,
he was greeted by a flood of urgent notifications from his corporate headquarters in the city.
His chief financial officer had sent twenty frantic text messages,
each one more desperate than the previous transmission.
"Nathan,
respond immediately!"
the last message read,
the capital letters conveying an absolute state of pure panic.
"All of our corporate bank accounts have been frozen by the federal government,
and trade has been suspended."
Nathan's face turned completely white,
the expensive smartphone slipping from his trembling hand and crashing onto the marble floor.
He ran to his private office,
booting up his secure computer terminal to check his personal financial portfolios online.
The digital screen confirmed his worst fears,
showing an absolute balance of zero dollars across every single account.
He tried to call his personal attorney,
a highly paid fixer who had resolved every legal issue in his life.
The call connected after several rings,
but the attorney's voice sounded incredibly distant,
and completely devoid of confidence.
"Do not call me again,
Nathan,"
the lawyer said flatly,
refusing to listen to Nathan's frantic demands for help.
"The federal government has initiated a full Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations investigation against your entire family empire.
My firm has officially dropped you as a client,
and I suggest you find a public defender immediately."
The line went dead before Nathan could utter a single word of protest,
leaving him alone in the room.
He ran to the large front window,
looking out at the long driveway that had been filled with happy guests just yesterday.
The white tents were still standing on the lawn,
looking ghostly and pathetic in the gray morning light.
But the luxury cars were gone,
replaced by three unmarked federal passenger vans that were currently driving up the driveway.
Nathan felt a cold wave of absolute terror wash over his body,
realizing that his wealth could no longer protect him.
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The walls of his perfect kingdom were crumbling down around him,
and he was completely helpless to stop the destruction.
