Chapter 4 - THE RED FOLDERI reached inside the inner pocket of my dress blue coat and withdrew a thick, waterproof tactical folder bound with a crimson military seal.
The Department of Defense Inspector General watermark stamped across the front cover gleamed under the hotel lights.
Vivienne’s face lost every trace of its cosmetic color. The smug socialite facade cracked wide open, revealing a panicking woman realizing her carefully built house of cards was caught in a hurricane.
“Grant… what is that?” Vivienne stammered, taking a jerky step backward, her pearl necklace clicking against her collarbone as her hands trembled. “What did you give her? This is your night! We agreed—we agreed we were going to announce Caleb’s new partnership with the defense procurement firm tonight!”
“We agreed on a lot of things, Vivienne,” Grant said coldly. “Like honesty. Like integrity. Like honoring the oath we swore to this country—an oath you and our son spent the last five years treating like a revolving door for kickbacks and embezzlement.”
Caleb lunged forward, his hands slamming onto the white tablecloth, rattling the silverware. “Dad, you’re losing your mind! You’re retiring! The stress of the Pentagon audit has finally broken your brain! Security! Get this woman out of here, she’s fabricating military documents!”
May you like
Not a single security guard moved.
Standing near the double doors, two Military Police investigators in crisp dress blues and white web belts had quietly slipped into the ballroom, blocking every exit.
