“I’m filing it directly with the State Banking Commission’s duty officer at eight o’clock tomorrow morning,” Daniel said.

“Once it’s stamped, Cole won’t be able to withdraw five dollars from any bank in the state.”

“What will he do when he finds out?” I asked.

“He’ll fight back ruthlessly,” Daniel said.

“He’ll use every financial asset he still controls to crush your independence.”

Daniel picked up a heavy steel hand stamp from the desk tray, pressed the rubber head into a red ink pad, and brought it down on the main filing page with a sharp, heavy thud, leaving a deep scarlet seal across the text.

He laid his linen napkin on the table and folded it twice into a neat triangle.