Chapter 3 - Tracing the Phantom WiresBy 2:00 AM, the digital walls Marcus and Daniel had spent years building began to crumble on my glowing computer screen.
Using my master credentials and legacy access codes from my former litigation firm, I bypassed the standard commercial banking firewalls and traced the routing numbers from Victor’s burner phone bank statements straight to a domestic shell corporation: Mercer-Hart Holdings LLC.
The registration date of the shell company?
Three days before our wedding.
They hadn't just planned to steal my inheritance after it vested. They had already taken out shadow loans against my future trust using forged spousal consent forms—the exact same digital forgery technique Daniel had used to secure our mortgage three years ago. They were $1.2 million in debt to predatory private lenders, and my vesting inheritance was the collateral meant to bail them out before their creditors seized everything.
A sharp clatter echoed from the hallway outside the master bedroom.
Heavy, uneven footsteps trudged up the stairs, accompanied by low, drunken laughter.
Daniel and Victor had returned from their “business meeting.”
I closed the laptop instantly, slid the manila folder back into the hidden lining of the winter coat bag in Victor’s closet, and slipped back into bed just as the bedroom door pushed open.
Daniel staggered into the room, loosening his tie, smelling of scotch and expensive cigar smoke. He didn't even look at me as he tossed his jacket onto the armchair.
“You still awake?” Daniel grumbled, rubbing his temples.
“I was waiting for you,” I said, my voice completely steady, devoid of any anger.
Daniel sighed, sitting heavily on the edge of the mattress. “Look about this morning... with Victor. You shouldn't have provoked him by refusing to help in the kitchen. We have a lot riding on this month, Claire. I need peace at home, not attitude.”
May you like
I stared at the back of his head in the dim ambient light, feeling a cold, razor-sharp smile form on my lips.
“You’re right, Daniel,” I whispered softly. “You need peace. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
