Chapter 12 - The Architect of Ruin
"How is this legally possible?" I demanded, standing before the large panoramic window overlooking the city skyline. "He was serving fifteen years in federal prison!"
"Someone high up in the Department of Justice signed an emergency commutation order, citing 'national security cooperation,'" Jonathan explained. "Claire, someone wiped his record clean overnight. The money funding Blackwood Group makes Flynn's old capital look like pocket change. We're talking about billions."
Before I could answer, my phone rang. An unknown, encrypted number flashed on the screen.
I answered and put it on speaker.
"Hello, Claire," a woman’s voice purred through the speaker. Smooth, aristocratic, and completely devoid of warmth. "It’s been a long time since anyone in the Hart family heard my voice."
"Who are you?" I asked flatly.
"My name is Evelyn Blackwood," she replied with a soft laugh. "Flynn was merely an amateur playing with tools he didn't understand. He thought he was taking your fortune out of greed. But I am taking it out of debt. Your grandfather, William Hart, didn't build his empire on genius, Claire. He built it on blood. My father's blood."
"My grandfather was a man of honor," I snapped.
"Your grandfather was a monster who framed my family forty years ago and buried us in corporate ruin!" Evelyn's voice suddenly turned razor-sharp. "Flynn was just a pawn I planted near you years ago. His uncle Marcus? My lieutenant. Flynn failed to break you at your weakest moment in the ICU, so now I am coming to do the job myself."
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"You touched a picture of my children," I said, every nerve in my body burning with absolute venom. "You just made the worst mistake of your life, Evelyn."
"I don't make mistakes, darling," Evelyn sneered. "Check the stock exchange. Your board members are receiving calls right now. By sunset, Hart Global will no longer belong to you."
