Chapter 5 - The Silent Mastermind
By nightfall, the financial world collapsed on Grant Ashford.
News broke across Wall Street: Ashford Capital’s Board Suspends CEO Grant Ashford Pending Identity Fraud and Murder Investigation. The firm’s stock plummeted by 40% in after-hours trading.
I sat in the penthouse suite of the Carlyle Hotel, watching the news ticker scroll across the screen. Beside me, a sleek black laptop displayed real-time banking transfers. With a single authorization code—unlocked by Noah’s court-verified DNA profile—I froze all $4 billion in corporate accounts, cutting Grant off from his offshore legal defense funds.
A heavy knock sounded at the door. My private security guards opened it to reveal Vanessa.
She looked completely ruined. Her designer dress was wrinkled, her mascara smudged, and the arrogance that had filled the conference room days ago was entirely gone.
“Claire,” she sobbed, stepping into the foyer with her hands raised in surrender. “Please. You have to believe me. I didn’t know he tried to kill his brother! I only knew about the money laundering and the fake medical records!”
“Sit down, Vanessa,” I said calmly, pouring a glass of sparkling water.
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She collapsed into an armchair, clutching her handbag. “He’s losing his mind. When the bank denied his wire transfer an hour ago, he lost it. He said he was going to take the company’s private jet to Dubai before the feds revoke his passport.”
“He won’t make it to the airport,” I replied softly. “Because he doesn’t have the key to the hangar. I bought the charter company yesterday.”
