Chapter 24 - The Final MastermindThe gun attack at the Plaza Hotel dominated global headlines for three days. But while the press celebrated Erin’s composure under fire, Erin knew something was deeply wrong.
Sophia Reed was an arrogant social climber, not an assassin. How had an undocumented, bankrupt deportee managed to acquire a unregistered firearm and slip past five tiers of high-level event security at the Plaza?
Inside her private office at the Carter Initiative, Erin sat across from Evelyn Vance, who was reviewing a confidential police evidence folder.
"We ran the serial number on the revolver Sophia used," Evelyn said, her voice dripping with tension. "It was wiped, but federal forensics recovered the deep laser etching underneath."
"Who owned it?" Erin asked, leaning forward over her marble desk.
Evelyn slid a document across the desk. "It belonged to a private holding firm registered in Delaware. A firm called Vanguard Management Group."
Erin frowned. "Vanguard? That was Alexander’s old firm."
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"Not just his old firm, Erin," Evelyn revealed, her tone dropping into a grave whisper. "It’s the parent company owned by Richard Vance—Marcus’s estranged father, and the senior founding partner who originally threw Alexander to the wolves."
Erin’s blood ran cold. The pieces of a massive, hidden puzzle suddenly began snapping together with terrifying clarity.
