Chapter Twenty Two. One Victory, One War

My father's lawyer, Mr Osei, was a quiet man who had been handling the Wren family's legal matters for 22 years. He possessed the kind of calm professionalism money couldn’t buy.

He did not ask us many questions when we arrived at his office at eleven at night. He didn’t ask why we all looked half-mad, or why we were breathing as if we had just run a marathon. He simply adjusted his glasses,He looked at the documents, looked at me and looked at Grace standing behind me. Then he said:

"Give me forty minutes."

I stared at the folder in my hands. Thought about my grandfather, Arthur Wren. He was a man I had never met. He built something with another man fifty years ago. Kept his part of it until he died. He did this for me, a granddaughter he would never know.

I thought about the letter he wrote. His handwriting was neat and careful. He wrote about protection as if it were the important thing.

I hoped I was doing what he wanted me to do.

Mr Osei returned exactly after thirty-eight minutes, carrying a fresh set of stamped papers.

"It is done, " he said. "The shares are now in your name. Your grandfather's controlling vote is yours. The court has stopped your uncle from doing anything with those assets tonight."

My father let out a breath that sounded like he had been holding it for twenty years.

I sat still.

I had done it. Against all odds,I stopped a ruthless man who had been planning this for twenty years.

Not permanently, not completely, but for tonight.

Grace placed her hand on my shoulder briefly.The warmth of her touch snapped me back to reality.

I pulled out my phone to call Ethan's security team, I needed to know he was safe, I needed to hear his voice.

Before I could even press dial my phone rang.

It was Ethan's security team lead.

"Ms Wren we found Mr Voss " 

I felt a lot of relief. My hand started shaking.

"Where is he? Is he okay?

He paused.

"He is at City General Hospital. He has a head injury. The doctor says it's not critical . And he is currently awake, " he said. ". But Ms Wren there is a problem."

"What problem?" I asked.

"Your uncle's people got there before us. They told the police that Mr Voss and his team attacked them at the property tonight. They have a witness who backs up their story completely. The police are waiting to interrogate Mr Voss."

I stood up fast. And my chair made a loud noise.

My father looked at me.

Grace was already on her phone.

"There is more, " the security lead continued. His voice was lower. "Someone leaked something to the press about Mr Voss. About something that happened seven years ago. It is on the internet now. Ms Wren, it is bad."

My chest tightened.

My uncle did not just set a trap for Ethan at the property. He also told the police a lie. Leaked a bad story to the press.

All three things at the time.

While I was with the lawyer my uncle was doing all these things to hurt Ethan.

"I am coming, " I said.

I looked at Mr Osei.

"I need a lawyer who can help with criminal cases. Tonight."

Mr Osei didn’t waste a second, he was already calling someone.

My father got his coat.

Grace was already at the door.

We left the building.

In the car, I looked at the story on my phone. The article has already been shared everywhere. The headline was explicitly naming Ethan and painting him as a violent unhinged criminal. At the end of the article, there was a quote from an anonymous source.

I read the quote twice.

Then I put my phone down.

Because the words in that quote sounded familiar. I had heard them before.

Recently.

From someone I had let into the house.

Someone who had given us the very address where Ethan had been ambushed.

Someone who had been alone with Ethan's documents for a while.

I called Grace.

"Where is Elena now?" I asked.

Grace paused.

"She was in the room we put her in, " Grace said slowly. The security feed is dead". Sofia the room is empty. She is gone.