Chapter 7
519words
When he spotted me, panic flickered across his face before hardening into rage. "Eleanor? This is your doing?"
I extended a manila envelope. "I've revised our agreement."
He snatched it open, his pupils constricting as he scanned the document. "Thirty percent equity? You've lost your mind!"
"You're welcome to refuse," I said evenly. "Then I'll arrange for yesterday's visitor to have a fascinating conversation with the SEC."
He studied me with newfound wariness, as though seeing a stranger. "Where did you learn to play this game?"
"From you," I held his gaze steadily. "I just perfected the technique."
As I walked away, his stare burned into my back like a brand.
Once inside my car, I called Pierce immediately. "Initiate phase two. Send the embezzlement documents to Edward."
"Miss Laurent, this will certainly flush out the snake."
"Precisely my intention." I gazed up at the gleaming tower. "A motionless snake reveals no vulnerabilities."
I ended the call and pressed a hand against my uncomfortably tight chest.
The nausea had been relentless lately—I'd even abandoned my beloved morning coffee.
On my phone screen, surveillance footage showed Victor clutching his hair in frustration. I sipped water, fighting back another wave of queasiness.
An hour later, Pierce called. "Edward received the package. He's visibly shaken."
"Give him twenty-four hours to stew. Tomorrow, same time, deliver the second file."
Edward, predictably, couldn't contain himself.
The following afternoon, he requested an urgent meeting with Victor at the executive lounge. I occupied the adjacent private room, their conversation crystal clear through our surveillance.
"Victor, I've received some... concerning financial documents," Edward's voice quavered.
"Explain." Victor's tone dropped ten degrees.
"The smart home initiative. Last quarter's marketing expenditures. The numbers don't reconcile."
Silence stretched between them. I could picture Victor's thunderous expression.
"Edward," he finally said, voice like steel, "after five years, you should understand which matters remain unspoken."
"But we're talking millions! If anyone investigates—"
"Enough!" Victor cut him off. "Hand over everything. I'll deal with it."
I allowed myself a small smile. The trap was sprung.
That evening, Pierce reached out to Victor posing as a venture capitalist interested in his latest project.
Victor was ravenous for fresh capital.
At the five-star restaurant, he promised our undercover investor: "You'll see returns within ninety days, guaranteed!"
From a discreet corner table, I observed his performance, my stomach roiling treacherously.
Three days later, surveillance captured him embracing Chloe in his office: "Once this funding comes through, we'll have the wedding of your dreams."
Chloe wiped away tears of joy. "But what about Eleanor?"
"Her?" Victor's lip curled with contempt. "She won't be a problem much longer."
I switched off the feed and barely made it to the bathroom before violently retching.
When I finally looked up, my reflection was ghostly pale.
A preposterous thought struck me.
I pressed a trembling hand against my abdomen. Could it possibly be...?
Rage surged through me like wildfire.
But in the very next moment.
A strange, unfamiliar flutter—like the first crack in winter ice—rippled through the frozen wasteland of my heart.
