2026-06-26 04:56:25
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Chapter 147
Ethan stood on the sidewalk outside the police station, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, the evening air cold against his face. The sun was sinking behind the buildings, casting long shadows across the street, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold. The city was quiet, almost peaceful. Cars passed by infrequently. A few pedestrians walked past, their heads down, their hands in their own pockets. It felt strange to stand there after everything that had happened. The world was still turning, but his world had just collapsed.A car pulled up. Claire got out and walked toward him. She stopped a few feet away, her eyes searching his face."You're really okay?" she asked. Her voice was soft, uncertain.He didn't answer. He just pulled her into a hug.She held onto him for a long moment, her arms wrapped around his back, her face pressed against his shoulder. He could feel her breathing, feel the warmth of her body against his. He didn't want to let go.She pulled back a
Chapter 146
The door burst open."Hands where I can see them!"Detective Harris stood in the doorway, her gun raised, her eyes locked on Richard. Behind her, two officers fanned out into the room. Their weapons were trained on Richard's chest.Richard didn't move. His gun was still pointed at Ethan, but his eyes had shifted to the officers. His face was pale, but his hand was steady."Drop the weapon!" Harris yelled.Richard smiled. It was cold and thin. "You're too late, Detective. I've already made my decision."Ethan stared at his father. His mind was racing. Andrew was on the floor, still bleeding. Richard was holding a gun. And now the cops were here."Dad," Ethan said. His voice was hoarse. "Put the gun down.""Don't call me that." Richard's voice was flat. "You were never my son. You were a mistake. A liability. Something I should have dealt with years ago."Ethan's hands were shaking. "You don't mean that.""I mean every word." Richard stepped closer to the window. The officers tensed. "I
Chapter 145
Ethan sat in his car outside the police station.The folder was on the passenger seat. Heavy. Thick. Full of enough evidence to destroy Richard Cross and anyone who had ever helped him. He had been sitting there for ten minutes, his hands on the steering wheel, his mind turning over everything that had happened.Eleanor was his mother. Mira was his sister. Richard had always planned to destroy him. Andrew had been the one holding the knife. The police were coming for him.He had one move left.He picked up the folder and walked inside.---The station was crowded. Officers moved past him. Phones rang. Someone was yelling in a holding cell. Ethan walked to the front desk and asked for Detective Harris.The woman behind the desk looked him up and down. "Name?""Graham Cross."She typed something into her computer. Her eyes flickered. "Take a seat. She'll be with you shortly."He sat in a plastic chair and waited.Twenty minutes passed. Then a door opened and a woman in a dark suit walke
Chapter 144
Ethan was leaving work. His briefcase was in his hand. His mind was at rest for the first time in weeks. Eleanor had promised to handle the audit. She had people. She had connections. She would make it disappear. He was halfway to his car when his phone rang. "Mr. Cross." A woman's voice. Professional. Controlled. "This is Detective Harris from the Special Investigations Unit. We need you to come downtown for questioning regarding illegal activities within Cross Industries." Ethan's blood went cold. "What are you talking about?" "We have reason to believe that illegal shipments and financial irregularities have been conducted under the Cross Industries banner. As the current CEO, you are the responsible party." Ethan's hands were shaking. "I don't know anything about that." "Then you can explain that to us when you come in." The line went dead. Ethan stared at his phone. Andrew and Richard had started to move. They weren't waiting. They were accelerating. The audit evidence w
Chapter 143
Ethan was in his office when the courier arrived.A man in a grey suit handed him a sealed envelope and left without a word. The envelope was thick, the paper heavy. Ethan turned it over in his hands for a moment before opening it. The letterhead was Cross Industries Legal Department. His stomach dropped before he even read the first line."Re: Forensic Audit of AK Holdings Financial Records. By order of the Cross Industries Board."He read it twice. Then a third time. The words didn't change. They were auditing his company. Andrew was making his move. Not in 48 hours. Now.Ethan set the letter down on his desk and stared at it. His mind was racing, trying to find a way out. There was no way out. The audit would find the Volkov shipments. They'd find the manifests he signed. They'd find the irregularities in the accounts. And then they'd hand everything to the police.He picked up his phone and called his lawyer. The man answered on the second ring."Ethan.""They're auditing AK Holdi
Chapter 142
Ethan stared at Eleanor across the booth. His mind was spinning, trying to catch up with what she had just said. The words hung in the air between them, heavy and sharp, like a blade waiting to fall."What do you mean?" he asked again. His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. He could feel the sweat on his palms, the tightness in his chest. He had walked into this meeting expecting to make a deal, not to have his entire understanding of the past few weeks torn apart.Eleanor leaned back in the booth, her fingers wrapped around her wine glass. She took a slow, deliberate sip before setting it down. She was in no hurry. She had all the time in the world, and she wanted him to know it. The ice in her glass clinked softly. The sound seemed too loud in the quiet corner of the bar."I mean Mira has been playing you from the moment she walked into your life." Eleanor's voice was calm, measured, like she was explaining something simple to a child. "She didn't find that evidence on her ow
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