Chapter 13 - The Unseen AllyAdrien’s desperate visit wasn't just a random act of pathetic delusion; it was a calculated provocation orchestrated by someone working in the shadows.
The next morning, Marcus burst into Evelyn’s office holding a printed email thread.
“Evelyn, look at this. It just came through our corporate compliance portal from an anonymous sender using a secure, encrypted proxy server.”
Evelyn took the paper. Across the page was a digital dossier detailing a series of covert financial transactions moving through a Swiss bank account—accounts tied directly to Vanessa Hart, who was currently serving her sentence in a minimum-security federal facility in West Virginia.
“What is this?” Evelyn asked, narrowing her eyes.
“It’s proof that Adrien didn't act alone in drafting that legal loophole to seize our subsidiary shares,” Marcus explained grimly. “Vanessa is still running her network from the inside. She’s using Adrien as a puppet to launch a malicious corporate takeover lawsuit against us, hoping to bleed us dry in legal fees before our big municipal merger next month.”
Evelyn stared at the financial codes on the page. A cold, calculating light sparked in her eyes.
“They want a war?” Evelyn murmured, setting the paper down. “Then let’s give them a battlefield they can’t escape.”
“What do you have in mind?” Marcus asked, a cautious smile touching his lips.
“We don’t fight the lawsuit in civil court,” Evelyn said smoothly, picking up her phone. “We invite the federal prosecutor’s office to audit the source of those Swiss funds. If Vanessa is still playing corporate games behind bars, her sentence is going to be extended by another decade. And as for Adrien…”
May you like
She paused, looking out at the glittering Chicago skyline.
“Let’s see how long his house arrest holds up when the authorities find out he violated his probation by leaving Cook County lines to come harass me.”
