Chapter 6

Erica’s fingers hovered over her phone, her breath catching in her throat as she read her grandfather’s message again. The gravity of the situation felt like a weight pressing down on her chest, but there was a flicker of hope—maybe, just maybe, they were about to uncover the truth.

Julian, who had been rubbing his temples in frustration, noticed the shift in her demeanor. He looked up, his eyes sharp with a mix of concern and curiosity. “What did he say?”

Erica met his gaze, her voice steady as she replied, “He found something. He wants us to call him.”

Julian nodded, a grim determination settling over him. “Then let’s call him now. We need to know what he’s discovered.”

With a deep breath, Erica dialed her grandfather’s number, her hands trembling slightly. The phone rang once, twice, before his familiar voice came through, low and serious. “Erica, are you with Julian?”

“Yes, we’re both here,” Erica answered, putting the phone on speaker so Julian could hear. “What did you find?”

There was a pause on the other end, the silence filled with anticipation. Finally, her grandfather spoke, his tone grave. “I’ve traced the discrepancies you found, and it’s worse than we thought. Whoever is behind this is laundering money through the company, using a complex web of shell corporations and offshore accounts. They’ve been doing it for months, maybe even years.”

Erica felt the blood drain from her face. “Laundering money? But… how? How could this have gone unnoticed for so long?”

“They were careful,” her grandfather explained. “Very careful. But they made a few small mistakes, like the ones you found. Those led me to the larger scheme. It’s sophisticated, but not flawless.”

Julian’s jaw clenched, his fists tightening as he processed the information. “Who could do something like this? Who has that kind of access?”

“That’s the most troubling part,” her grandfather replied, his voice heavy with concern. “It has to be someone on the inside, someone with significant authority. This isn’t the work of a low-level employee. We’re talking about someone high up—possibly someone in the executive team.”

Julian’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But that’s impossible. I trust these people. They’ve been with the company for years…”

“Trust can be a dangerous thing,” her grandfather said quietly. “Especially when money and power are involved. Whoever is behind this has been exploiting that trust.”

Erica could see the turmoil in Julian’s eyes, the struggle between disbelief and the harsh reality that was beginning to take shape. “Julian,” she said softly, “we have to find out who it is. We can’t let this continue.”

He nodded slowly, his expression hardening. “You’re right. We need to act, and we need to be smart about it. We can’t let them know we’re onto them.”

“There’s more,” her grandfather added, a note of urgency in his voice. “I’ve already taken steps to secure the evidence I’ve found, but you need to be careful. If they suspect anything, they might try to destroy what’s left. And Erica, Julian—there’s a chance they might come after you if they feel threatened.”

A chill ran down Erica’s spine at the warning, but she forced herself to stay calm. “What do we do?”

“First, we need to gather as much information as possible without raising any alarms,” her grandfather instructed.

Julian nodded, though Erica could see the tension in his posture. “Understood. We’ll be careful.”

“Good,” her grandfather said. “I’ll keep you updated with anything new I find”

The call ended, leaving the two of them in heavy silence. Erica stared at the phone for a moment, her thoughts racing. Julian’s expression was unreadable, his eyes fixed on the table, deep in thought.

Finally, he looked up at her, his voice low but firm. “We’re in deeper than I ever imagined.”

They spent the rest of the night planning their next moves, going over the information they had and strategizing how to uncover more without tipping off the culprits. It was a delicate balance—one wrong move, and everything could come crashing down.

Julian excused himself from the room, his mind racing as he stood up. "I need to make a few calls," he said, his voice carefully neutral. Erica nodded, concern etched on her face, but she didn’t press him for details.

As soon as he was out of sight, Julian's calm façade began to crack. He walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing in the quiet house, and entered his study, closing the door behind him.

He already knew what Jonathan, Erica’s grandfather, had discovered. The financial discrepancies, the shell companies, the laundered money—it was no surprise to him. Julian had suspected something for a while, but what he hadn’t revealed to Erica was that he already knew the identity of the mastermind behind it all. The name had been sitting heavily in his mind, a truth he wasn’t ready to confront.

But there were certain things that needed to be taken care of first.

Julian scrolled through his contacts, his thumb hovering over a name that made his stomach churn. 

He pressed the name, and the phone rang twice before a voice answered—cold, calculating, and far too familiar.

"Julian," the voice said, a note of surprise barely masked by its usual smooth tone. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Julian forced his voice to remain steady, though every muscle in his body was tense. "We need to talk. Things have come to my attention that require immediate action."

There was a brief pause on the other end, and Julian could almost hear the gears turning in the other man’s mind. "Is that so? And what might those things be?"

Julian took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "I’ve noticed some irregularities—financial discrepancies that point to someone tampering with the company’s accounts. It’s becoming a problem, one that needs to be addressed swiftly."

The man on the other end chuckled softly, the sound sending a chill down Julian’s spine. "I see. And I assume you’ve taken the necessary precautions?"

"I’m handling it," Julian replied, his voice clipped. "But I need you to ensure that certain... loose ends are tied up. We can’t afford any mistakes, not at this stage."

There was a long silence, and Julian wondered if he had pushed too far, revealing too much. But finally, the voice responded, cool and controlled. "Consider it done. I’ll take care of everything. Just make sure you keep your side of things clean, Julian. We wouldn’t want this to get messy."

Julian’s jaw clenched, his hand gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I’ll do my part. Just make sure you do yours."

The call ended with a sharp click, leaving Julian standing alone in the dimly lit study, the weight of the conversation pressing down on him. He knew he was walking a dangerous line—one wrong move, and everything could come crashing down. But for now, he had bought himself a little more time.

Julian took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He had to keep his focus, stay one step ahead. There was too much at stake, and failure was not an option.

As he made his way back to Erica, he steeled himself, pushing the fear and doubt to the back of his mind. For now, he needed to play his part, keep up the charade. But inside, he knew the clock was ticking, and soon, everything would come to a head