Revenge is sweetest with $2 billion in Bitcoin

Chapter six

“Stop the divorce first. Get the house back. Recover every dollar I put into her and the kid over the last five years. Then make sure she pays for the years she lied to me.”

Ryan studied him carefully. He recognized that locked-down tone — the same one Christopher had used years ago when the family company collapsed and he refused to show how badly it had hit him.

“Pushing criminal charges for the affair won’t get you far,” Ryan said. “Courts treat that as a private issue unless you can prove they were openly living as a couple...shared address, neighbors confirming it, joint accounts, that sort of hard proof. Most cases like that get thrown out.”

He paused, then continued more deliberately.

“What you 'can' do is file a civil claim for the money. You raised a child under false pretenses. That opens the door to recovering the support payments, school fees, medical costs...everything you spent because you believed he was yours. You can also claim compensation for the deception itself. If the paperwork is tight, the numbers can get significant.”

Ryan tapped the desk once. “Three things will decide whether the claim sticks: the DNA result, proof she knew the truth and still let you carry the cost, and a clean paper trail of every expense. Miss any one of those and the case weakens.”

Christopher nodded. “I’ve got the DNA and the payment records already. The missing piece is the proof she knew. I’ve hired a private investigator. The man’s name is Daniel Crowe. Recently divorced. Runs a logistics company. Full report should come in soon.”

Ryan nodded. “If you need messages or call logs, I can check official routes. No promises, but I’ll see what’s possible without crossing lines.”

Christopher finally leaned back, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Appreciate it.”

They sat in silence for a while. Ryan opened his water and took a sip. After a moment he spoke again, quieter this time.

Ryan was quiet for a moment, then asked, “What about Sienna? Have you thought about going back to her? Back then, neither of you really wanted to end it.” Christopher’s fingers tightened around the bottle.

The name Sienna Hart brought back a late spring afternoon from eight years ago. She had been waiting on the hood of his old car in the almost empty campus parking lot.

When he told her it was over, she didn’t cry. She only looked at him for a moment and asked if he was sure. When he said yes, she stood up, walked away, and didn’t look back.

He stayed in the car for a long time after she left. Not long after that the family company collapsed. The debts followed. Then came the hurried marriage to Mary.

Christopher didn’t answer right away. “That was a long time ago,” he said at last. “I’m dealing with what’s in front of me first. Everything else can wait.”

Ryan didn’t push. He just nodded as Christopher finished the water, set the empty bottle on the desk, and stood.

“Thanks for the advice.”

Ryan stood as well and walked him to the door.

“When you’re ready to file, come back to me,” Ryan said. “I’ll help you line up the evidence so it’s hard to attack. Just don’t do anything reckless in the meantime. I can’t clean up messes outside the law.”

Christopher gave a short, tired smile. “I’ve got too much to lose now. I’m not that dumb.”

Ryan clapped him once on the shoulder. “Call me when you need the next step. Day or night.”

“I will.”

They shook hands. Ryan held the door open as Christopher stepped out into the hallway.

“Take care of yourself,” Ryan said.

Christopher nodded once, then headed down the stairs. He stepped into the afternoon light. His phone buzzed before he even reached the car.

It was a message from Lora Morgan.

[Lora: Quick update. The original authorization window was set for today, but the Swiss banking side needed extra time to clear the source-of-funds file and the OTC desk’s compliance checks. I’ve moved everything to tomorrow morning. First tranche is still $40–50 million. You’ll need to be in Zürich for the final sign-off and ID verification. Can you adjust your flight to tomorrow?]

Christopher stopped walking and stared at the screen.

‘I completely forgot I was supposed to fly today…’

He typed back:

[Christopher: Got it. I’ll change the flight to tomorrow morning.]

Lora replied within a minute.

[Lora: Good. I’ll send the address and the documents you’ll need to bring once your flight is confirmed. Don’t miss the morning slot — the desk is holding the first settlement for you.]

[Christopher: Understood. Booking it now.]

He opened the airline app, cancelled the old ticket, and booked a new one-way flight to Zürich for the next morning. After the confirmation came through he sat in the driver’s seat and let out a long breath.

‘Tens of millions. Tomorrow. It’s actually happening.’

The first funds were coming. There was no reason to keep living like a man with nothing.

Christopher opened the small safe in the closet and took out the black velvet box. Inside were the diamond bracelet and necklace he had given Mary years earlier.

It had been before the company fully collapsed. Mary was pregnant at the time. She had an important event to attend and told him she needed proper jewelry or it would look bad.

When he hesitated because money was already getting tight, she made it clear that if he couldn’t even do this much for her and the child, maybe he wasn’t ready to be a husband or a father.

Christopher used the last of the cash he still had on hand and bought the set the next day. Not long after that, the business fell apart completely and the debts took everything else.

Now those same pieces were going to serve a different purpose.

He drove to a small private lender on the edge of town. The man behind the counter looked up as Christopher placed the box on the desk.

“I need a short-term loan. These are the collateral.”

The lender opened the box, examined the pieces under a bright lamp, and checked the old appraisal papers. Then he looked at Christopher’s plain jacket and worn shoes for a long moment.

“These are registered to Mary Norton,” he said slowly. “And you’re walking in here alone with them. How do I know you didn’t just take them?”

Christopher kept his voice calm. “She’s my wife. I bought them for her years ago. I have copies of her ID, the original purchase receipts, and the appraisal in her name. You can check everything.”