Chapter 8 - The Corporate HitmanThe words hung in the cold hospital air like a physical blow.
"My father?" I stared at Marcus, shaking my head. "No. That’s impossible. Richard Miller is a coward, but he wouldn't threaten his own granddaughter over a text message."
"He didn't send the text," Marcus corrected, tapping the Delaware corporate filing document with his thick finger. "He funded the entity that owns the number. Look at the shell company registry: Apex Holdings LLC. Registered three days ago. Funded via an offshore wire transfer originating from a Swiss bank account managed by Miller Enterprises."
I leaned over the table, scanning the financial ledger numbers. My father’s signature—distinct, jagged, and arrogant—was clearly visible at the bottom of the authorization form.
"Preston’s arrest wasn't just a blow to their ego," Marcus explained quietly, keeping his voice down so as not to wake Sophie. "It was a catastrophe for their entire financial portfolio. Your father’s firm was using Preston’s tech startup as a front to launder millions in commercial real estate debt. With Preston in jail facing felony charges, federal investigators are going to subpoena all of Preston's digital assets. Which means they're going to find the shell company."
"They're going to audit Miller Enterprises," I realized aloud, the pieces finally clicking together in my head.
"Exactly," Marcus nodded. "Your father realizes that if you and Sophie stick around to testify about what happened tonight, the police will seize Preston's phone. And on that phone isn't just the setup video—there are likely financial ledgers linking your entire family to corporate fraud."
I felt a cold numbness wash over me. For thirty years, I had believed my family’s dysfunction stemmed from favoritism, from a toxic sibling rivalry fueled by patriarchal tradition. But looking at the documents on the table, I realized the truth was much darker.
Preston wasn't just the golden child. He was the keeper of the family's criminal secrets. And because I had exposed him, I had accidentally pulled the pin on a grenade that was about to blow my entire family sky-high.
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"They aren't just trying to scare me, Marcus," I whispered, looking back toward Sophie sleeping peacefully in the bed. "They're trying to eliminate the witnesses."
"Which is why we aren't waiting for morning," Marcus said, pulling a set of heavy car keys from his pocket and tossing them to me. "I've got a safe house upstate near Lake Geneva. Pack your bags. We're checking out right now."
