2025-09-21 23:52:01
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Chapter 412
Diane’s office felt smaller with Mr. Hayes in it. The man carried authority the way some people carried briefcases, an invisible weight that altered the atmosphere of any room he occupied. He sat across from Diane’s desk, his posture rigid, his hands folded on the polished wood surface with the kind of control that came from decades of refusing to let anyone see weakness. His suit was immaculate, charcoal gray with subtle pinstripes, probably cost more than Nathan made in a month. Everything about him projected power and composure.Nathan wasn’t present for the meeting. Diane had insisted on that, said this needed to be attorney-to-attorney, professional and clean. But she’d called Nathan afterward, walked him through every detail while it was still fresh in her mind.“I played the recording first thing,” Diane had told him, her voice carrying a note of satisfaction Nathan was starting to recognize. “Didn’t waste time with pleasantries or preamble. Just set up the tablet, pressed play
Chapter 411
Diane’s office occupied the twenty-third floor of a glass tower three blocks from the courthouse, with windows that overlooked Riverpoint’s skyline and furniture that suggested success without being ostentatious. Nathan had been here twice before, but something about this visit felt different. Maybe it was the way Diane’s assistant had greeted him with knowing eyes, or the way Diane herself stood when he entered, her expression carrying that particular blend of grimness and satisfaction that Nathan had learned meant she had good news that would be bad for someone else.“Sit,” she said, gesturing to the leather chair across from her desk. “You’re going to want to be sitting for this.”Nathan sat. “That good?”“That good.” Diane picked up her tablet, tapped the screen a few times, then turned it toward Nathan. “The city official Liam approached is named Thomas Chen. He’s been with the permits and licensing department for twelve years, has a reputation for being thorough and honest. Appa
Chapter 410
Nathan set down his paintbrush carefully, the bristles making a soft sound against the edge of the paint tray. His jaw tightened as he processed what Cassandra had just said, the words hanging in the air between them like something physical and dangerous.“What exactly did he say?” Nathan’s voice came out controlled, but Cassandra could hear the tension underneath.She moved further into the room, her heels clicking against the concrete floor that still needed its final polish. The space around them smelled like fresh paint and sawdust, clean scents that felt incongruous with the conversation they were about to have.“He cornered me in the parking garage after the meeting with his father,” Cassandra said, choosing her words carefully. “Waited until I was alone, until there weren’t any witnesses. Very calculated.”Nathan’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “And?”“He said that if I didn’t reconsider my loyalty to the Hayes family, he’d make sure my family suffered the consequences.
Chapter 409
The detectives arrived at the Hayes estate on a Tuesday morning, just after breakfast service had been cleared. Nathan heard about it from Maria, who’d been polishing silver in the dining room when two plainclothes officers were escorted through by Mr. Hayes’s personal assistant. She’d rushed to his quarters afterward, her eyes wide with the kind of gossip that spread through staff like wildfire, telling him in hushed tones about the badges and the briefcases and the way Mr. Hayes’s face had gone pale when they’d asked to speak with Liam.The investigation moved with the kind of speed that money usually prevented. Anonymous tips flooded the financial crimes division, each one pointing investigators toward specific accounts, specific transactions, specific irregularities in Liam Hayes’s financial history. Nathan had provided his evidence to Diane, who’d forwarded it to the appropriate authorities through proper legal channels. But someone else was feeding the investigation too, someone
Chapter 408
Nathan spread the financial records across the small desk in his quarters, the pages overlapping like pieces of a puzzle he was finally beginning to see whole. The lamp he’d borrowed from the estate’s storage cast harsh light across columns of numbers and transaction codes, turning the cramped space into something between a war room and a confessional. Outside, Riverpoint had gone dark hours ago, the estate settling into the quiet that came after midnight, but Nathan’s mind was too wired for sleep.He’d started with the bank statements, working chronologically from oldest to newest. Liam’s primary account showed the expected patterns at first: salary deposits from Hayes Holdings, regular transfers to investment portfolios, charges at restaurants and hotels and retailers that catered to people with more money than sense. Normal wealthy heir spending, nothing remarkable.Then Nathan reached the month before his DUI arrest, and the patterns changed.A withdrawal for fifteen thousand doll
Chapter 407
The café sat on the edge of Riverpoint’s industrial district, in one of those transitional neighborhoods where warehouses were slowly being converted into lofts and old factory buildings housed artisan coffee roasters and craft breweries. It was the kind of place where people minded their own business, where the clientele consisted mostly of freelancers with laptops and shift workers grabbing breakfast before heading home. Far enough from the financial district that Nathan didn’t expect to run into anyone who mattered. Far enough from the Hayes estate that Cassandra could arrive without being noticed.Nathan pushed through the door at ten past nine, the bell above chiming softly. The café smelled like espresso and fresh pastries, warmth against the morning chill outside. He spotted Cassandra immediately, seated at a corner table by the window where she could watch the street. She’d arrived early, which didn’t surprise him. Cassandra Sterling didn’t show up anywhere without knowing the
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