Chapter 8 - Shadows in the Rearview MirrorThree months later, the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle was surrounded by reporters and camera crews.
The trial of Grant and Vanessa Cole had lasted barely two weeks. The evidence Evelyn and Martin Shaw had compiled—complete with shell company bank records, forged vendor invoices, and internal email transcripts—left no room for defense.
As Vanessa was led out of the courthouse in handcuffs, her hair unstyled and her designer suit replaced by an orange jumpsuit, a reporter thrust a microphone toward her face.
“Ms. Cole! Do you have any comment on Evelyn Vale taking over the company?”
Vanessa stopped, her eyes flashing with a final spark of bitter venom. She glared directly into the camera lens, her face twisted in resentment.
“She didn't win anything,” Vanessa snarled before the marshals shoved her into the back of the van. “She’s just a kid playing dress-up with an old man’s toy!”
Inside her corner office on the tenth floor, Evelyn watched the broadcast on her tablet.
She didn't feel angry. She didn't feel vindicated. She simply reached out and tapped the screen, closing the video application.
The intercom on her desk buzzed softly.
“Evelyn?” Walter’s voice came through the speaker. “There’s a young woman downstairs from the winter internship cohort. She’s got a stack of financial audits from the regional distribution centers, and she says she found a discrepancy in the inventory logs that doesn't add up.”
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Evelyn smiled, a bright, genuine expression that warmed the entire room.
“Send her up, Walter,” Evelyn said. “And make sure she gets a fresh cup of coffee.”
