2026-02-21 14:09:34
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-NINE: THE ACCIDENT
"Did you tell anyone?" Catherine asked gently."I told my husband. David." Margaret's hands trembled. "He wanted to kill Giovanni. I begged him not to. Said we'd find another way. Get evidence. Build a case.""What happened?""David died. Six months later. Motorcycle accident. His brakes failed." Margaret turned to face them. "The police said it was maintenance neglect. But David was meticulous about his bike. He checked everything weekly.""You think Giovanni…""I know Giovanni. He found out David was collecting evidence. Had recordings. Documents. Plans to expose him." Margaret's voice broke. "So he killed him. Made it look accidental. And when I confronted him—when I showed him what I knew—he told me I could join David or I could comply.""Comply with what?""Everything. Silence. Cooperation. Helping cover up his crimes. Becoming his... assistant... in managing the parts of the business he kept off the books."Elena moved closer. "The blackmail. The leverage you said he had—""Was
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-EIGHT: The Morrison Heir
The man on the porch looked like Thomas Morrison.Same angular face. Same intense eyes. Maybe thirty-five, dressed in worn jeans and a leather jacket that had seen better years.Elena stood in the doorway, Margaret behind her, the children watching from the stairs."Mrs. Ashworth?" His voice was rougher than Thomas's. Working-class accent. "I'm Daniel Morrison. Thomas's son.""Thomas doesn't have…" Elena stopped. "How did you find this address?""My father spent thirty-eight years planning his revenge. You think he didn't have contingency plans? Backup information?" Daniel pulled out a worn envelope. "He told me if anything happened to him, anything unexpected, I should find you. Give you this.""Why me?""Because apparently you're the only person in the Ashworth orbit who might actually give a damn about the truth."Elena studied him. The family resemblance was undeniable. But Thomas had never mentioned children."Your father is in prison…""Was in prison. He died four hours ago."Th
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN: THE COMPANY SURVIVES
"You stop fighting us. You stop investigating. You accept that the Collective isn't your enemy, we're the only thing standing between you and complete destruction."Elena laughed bitterly. "You really expect us to believe…""I expect you to be pragmatic. Look at your options objectively." Victoria began ticking off fingers. "Option one: continue fighting. The company collapses. The estate is seized. The children inherit nothing. Alex serves his full sentence with no future to return to. You both end up broke, disgraced, possibly prosecuted.""Option two?" Catherine asked."Cooperate. The company survives. The children's futures are secured. Alex remains relevant. You get to maintain dignity, comfort, safety." Victoria leaned against a support column. "It's not even a difficult choice.""It's surrender," Elena said."It's survival. There's a difference."Adrian, who'd been silent until now, finally spoke. "What about me?"Victoria turned. "You're the wild card, Mr. Chen. You killed Gio
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX: The Collective's Offer
Catherine's hand moved to her phone. Victoria raised one finger, a small gesture that froze Catherine in place."Don't," Victoria said pleasantly. "Security is already monitoring this floor. Any call you make will be intercepted. Any text will be read. Any alarm will be... inconvenient."Hammond had gone completely still. "How did you—""Know about your little negotiation? Mr. Hammond, we've been listening to every conversation in this office for three years. Did you really think we'd stop now?" Victoria moved to the window, gazed out at the city. "Beautiful view. I've always loved this building. Giovanni designed it himself, you know. Every floor. Every office. Every camera."Catherine's blood went cold. "Cameras.""Fourteen in this office alone. Four in the elevator you took to get here. Twenty-three in the lobby." Victoria turned. "We've been watching you since you entered the building, Ms. Reed. Just as we've been watching Adrian Chen's apartment. And the church where Elena met Th
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FIVE:THE SEC
"You killed a man, Adrian. Don't lecture me about moral lines."The words hung in the air.Adrian flinched. "Fair."Thomas cleared his throat. "There might be another way."They both turned."I know someone at the SEC. Someone clean. Someone who's been trying to build a case against the Collective for years but keeps hitting dead ends." Thomas looked at the monitors. "If we gave them this, selective files, carefully chosen evidence…""They'd need to verify it. Cross-reference. Build their own case. That takes months." Adrian shook his head. "The vote is in six days.""Then we need to move faster." Elena pulled out her phone. "I need to see Catherine. Today.""Catherine can't help with this…""Catherine can help with exactly this. She's been Alex's lawyer for how long? She knows the company inside and out. She knows the board. She knows who's vulnerable."Adrian and Thomas exchanged glances."What?" Elena demanded."Catherine is on the list," Adrian said quietly."What list?"He pulled
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-FOUR: The Enforcer's Confession
Elena sat in Adrian's car, staring at his hands on the steering wheel.The same hands that had helped her move into her first apartment.The same hands that had held Sophia as a newborn.The same hands that had killed Giovanni Ashworth."Say something," Adrian said quietly."I don't know what to say."They were parked in an underground garage, Adrian's building, three levels down. Safe, supposedly. Elena didn't believe in safe anymore.Thomas Morrison sat in the back seat, equally silent."You need to understand…" Adrian started."Don't." Elena's voice cracked. "Don't explain. Don't justify. Just... tell me what happened. All of it."Adrian killed the engine. Sat back."Giovanni called me to his office on a Tuesday. March fourteenth. Three months before he died." Adrian stared straight ahead. "He had photographs.""Of what?""You and me. Having lunch. Walking in the park with the kids. Completely innocent moments that he'd had... recontextualized.""What does that mean?""Photo manipu
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