Chapter 63
Chapter 63: The Forensic Audit
Vanguard didn't play clean. Two weeks after the city council hearing, a series of anonymous articles appeared in local real estate blogs, questioning the financial stability of Anna’s firm and dragging up the old Davis Construction criminal records from fifteen years ago, trying to imply that Anna's success was rooted in "tainted family money."
It was a classic, desperate smear campaign.
Anna didn't panic. She called Marcus Thorne out of retirement for one final consultation. We met in her Brooklyn brownstone, the table covered in financial ledgers and corporate asset reports.
"They’re digging into the old court escrow from 2026," Marcus said, tapping his reading glasses against the table. "They’re trying to claim that the restitution money Anna received from Robert’s liquidated assets was part of an unresolved tax fraud pool. Elena is smart—she’s using the complexity of her father's old case to create doubt in the city council's mind."
"Can they legally freeze our bid?" Anna asked, her face tight.
May you like
"Not if we hit them with a proactive forensic audit," I suggested, stepping forward. My years as a corporate VP of operations kicked in. "Marcus, we have the certified federal closure document from 2035 stating the restitution was fully satisfied and legally cleared of all encumbrances. If we submit a full, independent audit of every single dollar Anna’s firm has ever earned directly to the City Comptroller tonight, we turn their smear campaign into a defamation suit."
Marcus grinned, looking at me with absolute respect. "Claire, you should have gone to law school. Let's draft the filing."
