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The hallway clock downstairs struck 12:48 AM, a low, hollow chime that seemed to stretch through the empty rooms of Cedar Hollow. / Chapter 7 / 20

Chapter 7 - The Trap Sprung

By noon, the federal agents had finished tearing through Elijah’s home office. Agent Miller walked out of the room holding a flash drive, looking thoroughly confused rather than triumphant.

“Mr. Brooks,” Miller said, clearing his throat awkwardly. “We downloaded the primary server logs. But... none of the fraudulent safety reports match your digital signature. In fact, they were uploaded from an external terminal registered to Brooks Logistics—Atlanta Executive Suite 402.”

Elijah crossed his arms. “Suite 402 belongs to Executive Vice President Vivian Vance.”

“We’re going to need her to come in for questioning,” Miller admitted, closing the folder.

“She’s probably already at the regional airport,” Elijah said calmly. “Private jet to the Cayman Islands leaves at one o’clock. If you hurry, Agent Miller, you can catch her before she clears customs.”

As the federal agents scrambled back into their SUVs and sped down the gravel drive with sirens blaring, Imani let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding all morning.

“You knew,” Imani said, staring at him in astonishment. “You knew she was going to try to frame you.”

“I knew she was skimming accounts six months ago,” Elijah corrected softly. “I was waiting for her to make a move big enough to put her away permanently. I just didn't expect her to use my home as the staging ground.”

He turned fully toward Imani, the chaos of the federal raid melting away as if it had never happened.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice dropping into that gentle, intimate register meant only for her.

“I’m fine,” Imani said, though her hands trembled slightly. “Elijah... your entire company is in the national news. Reporters are going to be swarming this farm by this afternoon.”

“Let them swarm,” Elijah said, taking a step closer until he was standing right in front of her. He gently reached out, his knuckles brushing against her cheek. “Let them see that Cedar Hollow isn't a tomb anymore.”

Before Imani could reply, Zoe let out a happy little gurgle from her carrier, reaching her tiny hand out to grab one of Elijah’s fingers.

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Evelyn’s fingers tapped rapidly against her scrub pocket, her expression locked in grim determination. The air inside the cramped storage closet smelled faintly of industrial detergent and powdered baby formula, a sterile scent that did little to calm the rising panic clawing at my throat.

Evelyn’s fingers tapped rapidly against her scrub pocket, her expression...

The hum of the kitchen ventilation system suddenly sounded like a roaring engine. For five agonizing seconds, nobody moved. The air between Matteo and Bianca was thick enough to choke on, charged with a voltage that threatened to short-circuit the entire building.

The hum of the kitchen ventilation system suddenly sounded like a roarin...

The sterile scent of antiseptic and bleach hit Dana the moment she crossed the hospital room threshold. Every instinct she had honed over decades of service—calmness under fire, methodical assessment, absolute control—threatened to fracture at the sight of her daughter. Sophie’s bruised wrist peeked out from beneath the pale hospital blanket, a silent testimony to a brutality that Dana’s mind refused to accept as accidental.

The sterile scent of antiseptic and bleach hit Dana the moment she cross...

Elijah looked down at the baby, then back up into Imani’s dark, expressive eyes.

“Stay, Imani,” he whispered, the billionaire empire and federal raids fading into absolute insignificance. “Stay, and help me finish building this home.”

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