The businessman's phone had been vibrating repeatedly throughout the encounter.
He finally looked at it.
Three calls from his general counsel.
Two messages from the acquisition team.
And one message from his mother.
He opened his mother's text first.
Are you eating lunch?
Despite everything, he smiled.
Then he saw a message from the general counsel.
Urgent: Asterion luxury director appears involved in a security incident at your property. Please call before discussing company matters.
He looked toward the woman.
She was standing several feet away, speaking angrily into her phone again.
He took a slow breath.
Then called his attorney.
The lawyer answered immediately.
"Are you all right?"
The businessman smiled faintly.
"Mostly."
"What happened?"
He explained.
The Ferrari.
The false theft accusation.
The handcuffs.
The confirmation of ownership.
The woman's claim about her family controlling Asterion.
And the fact that she apparently used the company's security application to generate or escalate concerns.
The lawyer remained quiet until he finished.
Then asked, "Are the police still there?"
"Yes."
"Have they documented the incident?"
"They're doing that now."
"Do you have witnesses?"
"Several."
"Video?"
"At least one neighbor recorded it."
The lawyer took a breath.
"Good. Preserve everything."
The businessman looked toward his wrists.
"I intend to."
The attorney hesitated.
Then asked, "Did she know the transaction closed?"
"Apparently not."
A pause.
The lawyer sighed.
"Her father was supposed to tell her."
The businessman looked toward the mansion.
"That seems to have gone poorly."
The lawyer did not laugh.
"This creates a conflict issue."
The businessman nodded.
"I know."
He already understood.
His firm now held controlling voting power in the company employing the woman who caused the incident.
He was also personally involved as the victim of the report and detention.
If he used corporate authority to punish her immediately, questions could arise about whether decisions were being made for legitimate business reasons or personal retaliation.
So he made the decision before the attorney suggested it.
"I want an independent review."
The lawyer paused.
"Of her access?"
"Her access, the reporting history, and any involvement by company employees."
He looked toward the younger officer.
"Preserve the relevant system logs immediately. The audit committee should oversee it."
The lawyer nodded.
"And her position?"
"Any interim restrictions should be handled through appropriate company procedures, with independent decision-makers and documented reasons."
The lawyer seemed relieved.
"Understood."
The businessman continued.
"I'm not going to turn this into a public contest over who can ruin whose life faster."
The attorney was quiet.
Then asked, "What do you want to do first?"
The businessman looked toward the house.
"I want to go inside."
He glanced at the Ferrari.
"And then I want to understand how a system the company sells for security helped create a false report against a lawful homeowner."