Back at the villa that night, I couldn’t speak.Leon sat beside me on the couch, watching the sea crash against the rocks below.“You okay?” he asked gently.“No,” I whispered. “But I’m not broken.”He took my hand. “Then we go after him. All of them.”I stared out the window. The darkness didn’t feel empty anymore. It felt full of purpose.“We burn their empire down,” I said. “Brick by brick.”***Letty cried when I sent her the files.“It’s worse than we thought,” she said. “And also exactly what we feared.”She and Riley got to work immediately—scrubbing every page, verifying every lead. Meanwhile, Leon began arranging an exclusive interview with one of the world’s most ruthless and untouchable journalists: Emilia Rhys.She had once exposed a royal arms dealer with nothing but a pen and a satellite phone.If anyone could launch this story into the stratosphere, it was her.“She’s agreed to meet,” Leon said a day later. “Tomorrow night. In Zurich.”“Then we go,” I said without hesit
Letty’s phone rang just as we finished breakfast.Her hand froze above her coffee cup. The ringtone wasn’t her usual chirpy tune—it was that sharp trill reserved for emergencies. The moment she answered, her face went pale.“What happened?” Leon asked before she even hung up.Letty pressed the phone to her chest, like shielding it would make the words less real. “They suspended me. Without cause. Effective immediately.”I stared at her, stunned. “The university board?”She nodded. “The Dean said an anonymous complaint was submitted—allegations of academic misconduct. Plagiarism. Falsifying grades.”Leon’s voice was flat. “Bullshit.”Letty’s laugh was bitter. “Of course it is. But it’s timed perfectly, isn’t it?”My stomach twisted. “That was Christian.”“Who else?” she said, eyes wide with disbelief. “He’s not just attacking from the front. He’s eroding us piece by piece.”I reached out and gripped her hand. “He won’t win.”Letty nodded, but her fingers were cold.By midday, the secon
He burst through the side door with Riley right behind him, guns drawn.Vance froze. But only for a second.He raised the pistol toward me.The shot came—but not from his gun.Riley took him in the shoulder. Vance spun, dropped his weapon, and hit the floor.Leon crossed the room in seconds and pulled me into his arms."What part of 'don’t follow me' did you not understand?" I sobbed into his chest."The part where you thought I’d let you face him alone."We found Marie in the basement, bound but unharmed. Her eyes widened when she saw us, and she broke down as Leon cut the ropes.That morning, we handed Vance to the authorities.The evidence he held? It was real.But so was everything we had.I would carry the truth of my father’s choices. But I would not carry his sins.Leon stood beside me when I addressed the press days later."My father helped build a corrupt empire," I said. "And I’ve spent my life dismantling it. My legacy won’t be silence. It will be justice."It wasn’t over. B
The address came through at 3:14 a.m.A string of numbers. A location just outside Anacortes, where the city faded into the woods. The text had no name, no promise—just a timestamp, a photo of Marie looking terrified in a dimly lit basement, and a message:Come alone. Bring nothing. No cops. You want her alive.I didn’t wake Leon.Maybe because I knew he’d never let me go alone. Maybe because I needed to do this myself. Or maybe it was the cold certainty that this had always been about me, even when the players were different.I slipped into jeans, tied my hair into a messy knot, and left a note on the kitchen counter, my fingers trembling as I wrote it."If I don’t come back by dawn, don’t follow me. Find Marie. Get the truth out. Protect our kids. I love you."The drive was a blur of fog and nerves. The forest swallowed the road in twisted arms. The house was a crumbling thing, a relic from the 40s with its porch rotting and windows dark.I parked down the hill and approached on foo
The days that followed were a storm of documents, strategy meetings, and surveillance reports. Letty took over the kids for a while, treating them to trips at the museum and letting them nap in the sunroom of her new apartment. Meanwhile, I sat in rooms with lawyers and digital forensics experts, digging into everything Christian Vance touched.It was Letty who uncovered the link.She burst into the study one evening, a tablet in hand. “He’s planning a boardroom coup,” she said breathlessly. “I checked the recent proxy votes. He’s been buying small shareholder stakes under alias accounts and has enough to sway decisions at Kwartz Global.”Leon went rigid. “That’s impossible.”“It’s not,” Letty said. “He’s doing it through employees of a now-defunct hedge fund linked to Justin’s mother.”I felt ice crawl up my spine.Justin’s mother—Vera. A name I hadn’t heard in over a year. A name that had once held the keys to my family’s downfall.“She’s still alive?” I asked.Letty nodded. “Barely
That night, I held Leon’s hand in bed as we discussed it.“It could be a trap,” he said, brushing hair from my face. “But if it’s real, it might be your last chance to speak to her.”“I’m not going for closure,” I said. “I’m going for answers. She’s the only one left who knows what Justin did in the early days—where the real money was hidden. If she talks… we might still uncover the offshore accounts tied to the foundation.”Leon nodded, jaw clenched. “Then I’m going with you.”“No,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You’re staying here. With the boys. With her.”I rested his hand gently on my belly.“I need to do this,” I whispered. “For me. For everything we’ve lost.”Three days later, I stepped off a plane in southern France with my passport tucked beneath my coat, wearing sunglasses and a scarf like a woman living someone else’s life.The hospital loomed like a fortress—gray stone walls and narrow windows, almost monastic.And in a small, dim room, Vera lay frail beneath white sheets,
The air in Paris was crisp, carrying the scent of blooming lilacs and freshly baked bread. Yet, as we approached the Société Générale bank, the city's charm was overshadowed by the weight of anticipation. Leon held my hand tightly, his grip a silent reassurance.Inside the bank, the atmosphere was sterile, the walls echoing with the soft hum of fluorescent lights. A stern-looking clerk led us to the vault, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She paused before a large steel door, inputting a code before turning to us."Box 1083," she said, motioning us inside.The room was small, lined with safety deposit boxes of varying sizes. She retrieved ours and placed it on the table before exiting, leaving us alone.Leon looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "Ready?"I nodded, my heart pounding.He opened the box.Inside, we found a stack of documents with Detailed records of offshore accounts, shell companies, and financial transactions linking my father and Uncle George to Justin
The blast echoed like a thunderclap in my ears. For a split second, time fractured—the world slowing into broken shards of motion and sound.Leon shoved me to the side just before the bullet could hit.I hit the floor hard, my head spinning, as another shot cracked through the air. Dorian lunged forward, his gun raised, and Elise ducked behind the archway, vanishing into the dark like a phantom.“Leon!” I gasped, scrambling toward him.“I’m fine,” he grunted, crouching low. “You okay?”I nodded quickly. “Where is she?”“Gone,” Dorian snarled, checking the hallway. “But she won’t get far.”Blood. There was blood—just a scratch on Leon’s arm, but it was enough to ignite something wild in me. Elise hadn’t missed by much.“She’s trying to stall us,” Leon muttered, his jaw clenched. “She’s trying to buy her father time.”I stood, heart hammering. “We don’t have time to waste.”We pushed deeper into the estate, each creaking floorboard echoing under our steps. Every shadow seemed to stretch
The flight to Zurich was tense. Leon barely spoke, his eyes fixed on the dark horizon outside the private jet’s window. Dorian was on his laptop, going over the intel they had gathered, while I sat quietly, my mind racing.Everything felt like a trap, but it also felt like the moment I had been waiting for—the one where the past and present collided in a blaze of truth and revenge.I turned to Leon. “You’re sure about this?”His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his temple. “I’ve never been more sure. Vincent Leclerc won’t see us coming.”“And when we get there?” I asked, my voice low. “What then?”“We take the drive. We make him pay for everything he’s done. To you, to your family, to everyone he’s destroyed.” Leon’s voice was filled with raw determination, but there was something more in his eyes—a promise of justice that had been a long time coming.I nodded, but doubts swirled in the pit of my stomach. As much as I wanted to destroy Vincent, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he ha
The blast echoed like a thunderclap in my ears. For a split second, time fractured—the world slowing into broken shards of motion and sound.Leon shoved me to the side just before the bullet could hit.I hit the floor hard, my head spinning, as another shot cracked through the air. Dorian lunged forward, his gun raised, and Elise ducked behind the archway, vanishing into the dark like a phantom.“Leon!” I gasped, scrambling toward him.“I’m fine,” he grunted, crouching low. “You okay?”I nodded quickly. “Where is she?”“Gone,” Dorian snarled, checking the hallway. “But she won’t get far.”Blood. There was blood—just a scratch on Leon’s arm, but it was enough to ignite something wild in me. Elise hadn’t missed by much.“She’s trying to stall us,” Leon muttered, his jaw clenched. “She’s trying to buy her father time.”I stood, heart hammering. “We don’t have time to waste.”We pushed deeper into the estate, each creaking floorboard echoing under our steps. Every shadow seemed to stretch
The air in Paris was crisp, carrying the scent of blooming lilacs and freshly baked bread. Yet, as we approached the Société Générale bank, the city's charm was overshadowed by the weight of anticipation. Leon held my hand tightly, his grip a silent reassurance.Inside the bank, the atmosphere was sterile, the walls echoing with the soft hum of fluorescent lights. A stern-looking clerk led us to the vault, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She paused before a large steel door, inputting a code before turning to us."Box 1083," she said, motioning us inside.The room was small, lined with safety deposit boxes of varying sizes. She retrieved ours and placed it on the table before exiting, leaving us alone.Leon looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "Ready?"I nodded, my heart pounding.He opened the box.Inside, we found a stack of documents with Detailed records of offshore accounts, shell companies, and financial transactions linking my father and Uncle George to Justin
That night, I held Leon’s hand in bed as we discussed it.“It could be a trap,” he said, brushing hair from my face. “But if it’s real, it might be your last chance to speak to her.”“I’m not going for closure,” I said. “I’m going for answers. She’s the only one left who knows what Justin did in the early days—where the real money was hidden. If she talks… we might still uncover the offshore accounts tied to the foundation.”Leon nodded, jaw clenched. “Then I’m going with you.”“No,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You’re staying here. With the boys. With her.”I rested his hand gently on my belly.“I need to do this,” I whispered. “For me. For everything we’ve lost.”Three days later, I stepped off a plane in southern France with my passport tucked beneath my coat, wearing sunglasses and a scarf like a woman living someone else’s life.The hospital loomed like a fortress—gray stone walls and narrow windows, almost monastic.And in a small, dim room, Vera lay frail beneath white sheets,
The days that followed were a storm of documents, strategy meetings, and surveillance reports. Letty took over the kids for a while, treating them to trips at the museum and letting them nap in the sunroom of her new apartment. Meanwhile, I sat in rooms with lawyers and digital forensics experts, digging into everything Christian Vance touched.It was Letty who uncovered the link.She burst into the study one evening, a tablet in hand. “He’s planning a boardroom coup,” she said breathlessly. “I checked the recent proxy votes. He’s been buying small shareholder stakes under alias accounts and has enough to sway decisions at Kwartz Global.”Leon went rigid. “That’s impossible.”“It’s not,” Letty said. “He’s doing it through employees of a now-defunct hedge fund linked to Justin’s mother.”I felt ice crawl up my spine.Justin’s mother—Vera. A name I hadn’t heard in over a year. A name that had once held the keys to my family’s downfall.“She’s still alive?” I asked.Letty nodded. “Barely
The address came through at 3:14 a.m.A string of numbers. A location just outside Anacortes, where the city faded into the woods. The text had no name, no promise—just a timestamp, a photo of Marie looking terrified in a dimly lit basement, and a message:Come alone. Bring nothing. No cops. You want her alive.I didn’t wake Leon.Maybe because I knew he’d never let me go alone. Maybe because I needed to do this myself. Or maybe it was the cold certainty that this had always been about me, even when the players were different.I slipped into jeans, tied my hair into a messy knot, and left a note on the kitchen counter, my fingers trembling as I wrote it."If I don’t come back by dawn, don’t follow me. Find Marie. Get the truth out. Protect our kids. I love you."The drive was a blur of fog and nerves. The forest swallowed the road in twisted arms. The house was a crumbling thing, a relic from the 40s with its porch rotting and windows dark.I parked down the hill and approached on foo
He burst through the side door with Riley right behind him, guns drawn.Vance froze. But only for a second.He raised the pistol toward me.The shot came—but not from his gun.Riley took him in the shoulder. Vance spun, dropped his weapon, and hit the floor.Leon crossed the room in seconds and pulled me into his arms."What part of 'don’t follow me' did you not understand?" I sobbed into his chest."The part where you thought I’d let you face him alone."We found Marie in the basement, bound but unharmed. Her eyes widened when she saw us, and she broke down as Leon cut the ropes.That morning, we handed Vance to the authorities.The evidence he held? It was real.But so was everything we had.I would carry the truth of my father’s choices. But I would not carry his sins.Leon stood beside me when I addressed the press days later."My father helped build a corrupt empire," I said. "And I’ve spent my life dismantling it. My legacy won’t be silence. It will be justice."It wasn’t over. B
Letty’s phone rang just as we finished breakfast.Her hand froze above her coffee cup. The ringtone wasn’t her usual chirpy tune—it was that sharp trill reserved for emergencies. The moment she answered, her face went pale.“What happened?” Leon asked before she even hung up.Letty pressed the phone to her chest, like shielding it would make the words less real. “They suspended me. Without cause. Effective immediately.”I stared at her, stunned. “The university board?”She nodded. “The Dean said an anonymous complaint was submitted—allegations of academic misconduct. Plagiarism. Falsifying grades.”Leon’s voice was flat. “Bullshit.”Letty’s laugh was bitter. “Of course it is. But it’s timed perfectly, isn’t it?”My stomach twisted. “That was Christian.”“Who else?” she said, eyes wide with disbelief. “He’s not just attacking from the front. He’s eroding us piece by piece.”I reached out and gripped her hand. “He won’t win.”Letty nodded, but her fingers were cold.By midday, the secon
Back at the villa that night, I couldn’t speak.Leon sat beside me on the couch, watching the sea crash against the rocks below.“You okay?” he asked gently.“No,” I whispered. “But I’m not broken.”He took my hand. “Then we go after him. All of them.”I stared out the window. The darkness didn’t feel empty anymore. It felt full of purpose.“We burn their empire down,” I said. “Brick by brick.”***Letty cried when I sent her the files.“It’s worse than we thought,” she said. “And also exactly what we feared.”She and Riley got to work immediately—scrubbing every page, verifying every lead. Meanwhile, Leon began arranging an exclusive interview with one of the world’s most ruthless and untouchable journalists: Emilia Rhys.She had once exposed a royal arms dealer with nothing but a pen and a satellite phone.If anyone could launch this story into the stratosphere, it was her.“She’s agreed to meet,” Leon said a day later. “Tomorrow night. In Zurich.”“Then we go,” I said without hesit