Chapter 2 - The Name on the DraftThe space heater ticked rhythmically, the only sound against the relentless drumming of rain. Eleanor sat in the chair, her eyes tracing the lines of Vincent’s architectural sketches. These weren't just drawings; they were legal maps of Ironwood Landing, the small village the Shaw Meridian Corporation was planning to level to build a luxury resort.
“You’re an architect, Vincent?” she asked, her voice regaining its strength as the warmth seeped into her bones.
“I was,” Vincent said, wiping sawdust from his hands. “Now, I’m just a man trying to stop a giant. Shaw Meridian wants to bulldoze the entire north ridge. My wife, Rachel, discovered the environmental impact reports were falsified years ago. She was going to blow the whistle, but then...” He trailed off, looking at the faded blue blanket Eleanor was holding. “She died in a car accident on that same ridge. The county called it a ‘freak weather event.’ I call it a murder.”
Eleanor went unnaturally still. “You believe Shaw Meridian is responsible for her death?”
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“I don’t believe,” Vincent said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, quiet rumble. “I have the files she hid. I just don't have the legal power to make anyone look at them.”
Eleanor stared at the drafting lamp, her expression unreadable. She knew the name Shaw Meridian better than anyone. She was Eleanor Shaw—the founder who had stepped down years ago, handing the keys to her ambitious, ruthless daughter, Victoria Shaw.
