Chapter 6 - The Honeypot
Richard stormed into the mahogany-paneled lobby of First Manhattan Private Bank, demanding to see his wealth manager. He was sweating now, his designer suit wrinkled.
He was ushered into a private room where his manager, a nervous-looking man named Hayes, sat behind a desk.
"Hayes, I need a wire transfer of five million from the Zurich account to a new, untraceable crypto wallet," Richard demanded, slamming his hands on the desk. "Right now."
Hayes swallowed hard. "Mr. Vance... I can't do that."
"I pay you to do what I tell you!"
"Sir, the Zurich account..." Hayes typed frantically on his keyboard and turned the monitor around.
The balance read: $0.00.
Richard stopped breathing. "Where is my money? Where is it?!"
"It was transferred out three days ago," Hayes whispered. "By an authorized signatory."
"Who?!"
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"Your wife, sir. The account was opened twelve years ago under a joint holding company. You assumed it was private because you were the only one depositing into it, but her name was on the master charter from day one."
Eleanor hadn't just discovered the money. She had let him build his secret nest egg for a decade, waiting until it was fat enough to slaughter.
