Chapter 9 - The Financial Ruin
The fallout over the next six months was spectacular, a slow-motion trainwreck that I watched from a safe distance.
The District Attorney did not play games. Because the forged line of credit crossed state lines regarding the banking institutions, it became a federal issue. Julian, arrogant to the end, tried to hire a fancy defense attorney with money he didn't have.
When the bank realized the Vance family was insolvent, they called in their debts. Eleanor and Richard Vance were forced to sell their country club membership, their luxury cars, and eventually, they filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The "civilized" family was reduced to renting a two-bedroom apartment in a bad school district.
Julian took a plea deal to avoid jail time. He got five years of strict probation, 1,000 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay full restitution. With a felony fraud conviction on his record, he was fired from his corporate finance job. The last I heard, he was working the graveyard shift at a gas station, living in his parents' cramped apartment.
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Chloe, ironically, fared slightly better. Because Julian had documented everything and his own texts proved he orchestrated the forgery, she avoided felony charges. She was slapped with a misdemeanor for complicity.
She found a job as a waitress at a diner three towns over. She lived in a tiny studio apartment, taking the bus to work. She was finally doing what she should have done four years ago: saving her own money.
