2026-07-25 14:47:43
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Chapter 43: Discovering a Major Red Flag
Inside the field office, Agent Park was working late, pulling everything available on Ethan Cole's movements over the past week.Surveillance footage. Transaction records. Phone pings.She laid it all out and went through it methodically.Every morning: gym. Mornings otherwise: home or grocery runs. Afternoons: more gym or the shopping district. Evenings: dinner out with Mia Sutton or back to the apartment. His schedule was as predictable as someone on a retirement timetable. Nothing flagged. Nothing unusual.Then she pulled his financial history.Lottery win. $350 million after taxes, deposited June 6th.Park's brow tightened.The windfall explained the spending, the lavish meals, the bulk purchases, the general attitude of someone who had stopped caring what things cost.She muttered to herself, scrolling through the records.A hundred million dollars on a survival bunker. Who does that?In her assessment, Ethan Cole was an impulsive, financially reckless young man who had come into
Chapter 42: Terrifying Intuition
Agent Park and Agent Reyes returned to the field office and reported the results of their interview with Ethan Cole directly to their supervisor, Captain Sarah Mitchell.After relaying the update to the division chief, Captain Mitchell came back and called a case review meeting.The conference room table was covered in files on the arms smuggling case. The projector was still frozen on crime scene photos from the old residential building, the location where over a hundred rifles and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition had simply vanished.Captain Mitchell traced her fingers across the files, brow furrowed, and after a long silence spoke."Cole's involvement can be ruled out. Shift focus to the other suspects.""Captain."Park stood up immediately, her tone leaving no room for interpretation."I don't think we can fully rule him out."Mitchell looked up at her, expression neutral. "Give me your reasoning.""My instinct." Park said it without hesitation.A ripple of suppressed lau
Chapter 41: The One-Million-Dollar Collateral
Ashley Carter had no house to mortgage.The apartment she lived in was rented, every cent of her savings had already been set aside for plastic surgery, and Ryan had never once bought her anything valuable enough to pawn."But... I don't have any collateral."Her voice grew weaker as she spoke. The tiny flame of hope that had just lit inside her heart was instantly snuffed out.The man on the other end of the line seemed to have expected this. Instead of sounding disappointed, his tone became even warmer."That's perfectly fine, Miss Carter. You can bring your ID to our company and we can discuss the details in person. There may be... other options."Ashley's eyes brightened. "Really?""Of course. Tri-State Financial Services has a solid reputation. We specialize in helping clients in difficult situations."After hanging up, Ashley didn't hesitate for even a second.She changed into a fitted dress, carefully touched up her makeup, and hailed a cab straight to the address the man had g
Chapter 40: I Want to Hear You Call Me Daddy
Mia frowned, as if the question genuinely puzzled her."Officer, why do you say 'sudden'?"Her voice carried a note of patient sincerity."Missing someone isn't sudden. It lives in you quietly. Ethan talks about his grandparents all the time, his grandfather sneaking him candy, his grandmother making him things when he was little..." She paused and looked at Park with wide, open eyes. "Don't you have grandparents you think about?"Ethan couldn't hold it.He burst out laughing, genuine, unrestrained laughter that he made no attempt to suppress."Mr. Cole." Park's voice went sharp. "Please."The fire behind her eyes was barely contained.She could tell Mia was being deliberately difficult. But there wasn't a single thing in what she'd said that could be challenged directly, which left Park with nowhere to direct her frustration except at Ethan.Ethan composed himself, sat back, and crossed one leg over the other with perfect ease.He knew exactly where he stood.Seventeen days until the
Chapter 39: It Was I Who Seduced Him
Agent Reyes held back a laugh with visible effort, his shoulders giving him away, before straightening his face and pressing on."Why didn't you go through with the visit then? Don't you miss your grandparents?""Of course I miss them."Ethan pulled a tissue from the box on the coffee table and dabbed at the corner of his eye, his expression perfectly calibrated between grief and composure."But I was afraid that if I actually got there and saw the old place, I wouldn't be able to keep it together. If I fell apart crying, my grandparents wouldn't rest easy up there. The dead can't come back. You have to keep moving forward." He looked at Reyes with gentle sincerity. "Wouldn't you agree, Officer?"The reasoning was thin. But paired with the expression, it held together just enough to be inconvenient to disprove.Agent Park wasn't satisfied. Her jaw tightened."We'd like to confirm this with your companion."Her instincts were telling her something was wrong. There was too much calculat
Chapter 38: The Investigators Visit
Ethan let out a long, satisfied breath in the quiet apartment.He looked at Mia, asleep and completely spent beside him, and a calculating smile crossed his face."Do you think Ashley will actually go through with the surgery?" he murmured."She definitely will," Mia mumbled without opening her eyes, curling closer. "That woman has her eyes on your money. For $300 million, she'd do anything.""Good."A flash of calculation crossed Ethan's eyes.He pulled up a contact, the assistant from Tri-State Financial who had first called him and dialed."Mr. Cole? Are you calling to settle up?"The man's voice was immediately eager and sycophantic, clearly assuming Ethan was calling to pay."I'll have everything settled by end of month," Ethan said, his tone relaxed and unrevealing. "Made a little money, I'm not the type to duck a debt.""Of course, of course. So what can I do for you tonight, Mr. Cole?""Does your company offer... alternative loan arrangements? For people who don't have traditi
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