Chapter 4 - THE FROZEN ACCOUNTS
Panic is a fire that burns through arrogance very quickly. Sitting in her leased Mercedes in the parking lot, Valerie immediately dialed the private wealth manager at Chase Bank to access her seven-figure literary agency fund. She planned to withdraw it all, rent an office across the street, and poach my authors out of spite. The banker’s voice was apologetic but firm. "I'm sorry, Valerie. That account was legally structured as a conditional grant from Whitmore Holdings. Margaret Whitmore authorized a full clawback at 6:00 a.m. this morning. The balance is zero." Valerie screamed into the steering wheel. She had spent her entire life standing on a mountain I had built, mistaking the altitude for her own height. Without my money padding her existence, the gravity of the real world was finally taking hold.
