He powered on the device.

The screen remained dark for a moment, then illuminated with the sharp logo of his former company.

Before he could even open his contacts, the phone began to vibrate continuously in his hand.

Dozens of missed call notifications and urgent text alerts flooded the screen.

One alert caught my eye, a major news headline flashing at the top of the display.

I stared at the glowing screen.

The headline was bold and black against the bright background.

“Vale Global CEO Fled State Amid Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Investigation.”

Underneath, a photo of Alexander from last year’s charity gala stared back at us.

“They are fast,” I said, my voice barely a whisper in the quiet room.

Alexander did not answer immediately.

His fingers tapped the glass, swiping past the news alert to open his personal banking application.

He entered his passcode.

A red warning bar flashed across the screen.

*Account Restricted. Please contact your branch administrator.*

“They have frozen everything,” he said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

“Even your personal accounts?” I asked.

“My savings, my checking, my investment portfolios,” he said.