Chapter 4 - Shadows of the Past
For the next two weeks, Ethan’s penthouse became my war room.
I shed the ghost of the helpless prisoner. I traded my gray uniform for tailored suits, cut my dark hair into a sharp, commanding bob, and spent sixteen hours a day going through every financial statement Ethan had gathered.
Ethan was relentless. For three years, while I was locked away, he had worked tirelessly as a private forensic accountant, quietly tracking every dollar Michael and Rachel siphoned out of Sterling Logistics.
“They didn't just take the corporate profits,” Ethan explained one evening over dinner, sliding a laptop toward me. “They merged Sterling Logistics with Rachel’s failing retail empire. They’ve been inflating stock values, taking out high-interest offshore loans, and funneling the capital into a private account in Switzerland.”
“They’re liquidating my grandfather’s legacy,” I said, my voice cold and lethal.
“They’re about to execute the final sale,” Ethan revealed, his eyes dark. “In three days, Michael is hosting the Annual Sterling Gala at the Drake Hotel. He’s announcing the complete sale of the shipping fleet to a foreign syndicate. Once that contract is signed, the money vanishes, and Sterling Logistics ceases to exist.”
I looked out the window at the sparkling Chicago skyline. The fear that had consumed me at the prison gates was completely gone, replaced by an icy, calculated focus.
“They think I’m broken,” I murmured, turning back to Ethan. “They think I’m sitting in a halfway house somewhere, ashamed and penniless.”
“What do you want to do, Evelyn?” Ethan asked, his voice steady, stepping close to me.
“I want my grandfather’s company back,” I said, meeting his gaze without flinching. “And I want Michael and Rachel to learn what happens when you set a fire you can't control.”
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Ethan smiled—a dark, dangerous smile that mirrored my own. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a velvet box, flipping it open. Inside sat an exquisite emerald necklace, gleaming beneath the warm lights.
“Then let’s give them a night they’ll never forget,” Ethan whispered.
