Chapter 4 - THE DELAY ENGINE
Inside the quiet study of the Blackwood estate, Daniel was likely swearing at his monitor.
On my screen, I watched the digital ghost of my husband attempt to authorize a transfer of $1.4 million from the Blackwood Employee Pension Trust to an account held by "Vance Logistics LLC"—a shell company he had set up in Delaware.
The transfer status on his screen would read: Processing. Additional Verification Required.
To Daniel, it would look like a routine security check by the bank.
To me, it was a countdown.
"I’m sending the protective order and the forensic report to the compliance director at Pacific Merchants now," Maya said, her hand hovering over the mouse. "Once they see the forgery documentation and the domestic violence protective order, their legal department will have no choice but to lock down every account associated with the Blackwood name."
"Do it," I said.
With a single click, Maya sent the file.
Within four minutes, the data traffic on my monitor showing Daniel’s home connection went completely flat. The Pacific Merchants portal had severed his session.
My phone rang. It was Daniel.
I let it ring three times before I answered, keeping my voice low, trembling, and deliberately weak—the voice of the "useless wife" he had thrown into the rain.
"D-Daniel?" I whispered.
"Vivienne!" he roared, his voice cracking with a high-pitched, manic panic. "What the hell did you do? Why are my accounts locked? Why is the bank telling me there's a compliance hold on the corporate treasury?"
"I don't know what you mean," I sobbed quietly. "I'm... I'm staying at a motel. My shoulder hurts, Daniel. You hurt me."
"I don't give a damn about your shoulder!" he screamed, the sound of glass shattering in the background indicating he had just thrown his whiskey tumbler against the wall. "You did something to the system. I know you did. You and your stupid little laptop. If you don't call the bank right now and authorize that Vance transfer, I swear to God, Vivienne, I will find you and make you wish I had left you on that porch permanently!"
"I... I can't, Daniel," I said, my voice dropping the tremble, becoming suddenly cold, flat, and entirely professional. "The compliance hold wasn't placed by me. It was placed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the State Attorney General’s Office."
There was a long, suffocating silence on the other end of the line.
"What?" he whispered.
May you like
"The money in the pension fund is gone, Daniel," I said. "And so is your freedom. The police are on their way to the house now with a warrant for your arrest for domestic assault and felony wire fraud. Tell Patricia I hope she likes the food in the county jail."
I hung up before he could scream again.
