LOGINElaraI stared at the documents spread across the table and felt a chill run through me.For the first time, the pieces fit.The old financial transfer.The acquisition of the subsidiary.The movement of money that followed.And the decision that had ultimately contributed to the destruction of Alistair’s family.This wasn’t simply a financial scheme.It was connected to the betrayal that had shaped Alistair’s entire life.I looked at him.He stood near the window, silent.I knew that expression.He was already thinking about confrontation.“Alistair.”He turned.“Don’t confront them yet.”His eyes narrowed.“Why?”“Because we need more than a signature.”I lifted the documents.“We need a complete timeline. Something they can’t dismiss as an accusation or a misunderstanding.”He stared at me for a moment before nodding.So we began.I organized everything chronologically.The original transfer came first.Then the subsidiary changed ownership.The company changed names.The money mov
Alistair Elara’s warning reached me before midnight.Someone inside Valmont was trying to access the original transaction records.I read the message twice.They knew.Whoever had spent years burying the truth had finally realized we were close enough to uncover it.But I wasn’t going to rush.Panic made people careless.And I wanted them careless.I asked Elara to send me the access request details while my team traced the request through the Valmont system.The records they wanted were specific.Not the entire financial archive.Not the subsidiary’s complete history.Only the documents connected to the original transfer.That told me everything I needed to know.They weren’t searching for information.They were searching for evidence.And more importantly, they knew exactly where that evidence was.I leaned back in my chair.“Find the account.”Minutes later, a name appeared on my screen.A senior Valmont executive.One of the men who had spent years sitting comfortably inside the
ElaraThe moment I saw the second signature, I knew everything had changed.For days, we had believed the missing money could be traced back to one executive.Victor Hale.But Victor hadn’t created the scheme.He had inherited it.Someone much closer to the center of the Valmont family had approved the original movement of the money.And that person had remained protected for years.I stared at the old authorization document on Alistair’s desk.“This changes everything.”Alistair stood beside me, his arms folded.“It changes who we’re looking for.”I looked at the signature again.“Then we need to find out whose.”“We will.”His calmness should have reassured me.Instead, it made me nervous.Because I knew what happened when Alistair found someone responsible for hurting his family.He didn’t stop until they had nothing left.I pulled the older records toward me.“We can’t just look at the signature. We need to follow what happened afterward.”Alistair nodded.I began comparing the or
AlistairThe attempted transfer from the Valmont subsidiary was exactly the opportunity I had been waiting for.But I wasn’t going to expose everything yet.Not now.People became careless when they believed they still had time.So I allowed the financial review to continue.I wanted every transaction preserved.Every authorization.Every signature.Every attempt to move money.If the person behind the scheme tried to protect what they had stolen, they would have to act.And every action would leave a trace.I sat in my office as the first reports arrived.The subsidiary was under pressure.Senior Valmont executives were demanding explanations for transfers that had never made sense.Millions had moved through accounts under the excuse of investments, acquisitions, and internal restructuring.The explanations sounded legitimate.Until I compared the dates.The authorization records told a different story.The transactions had happened before some of the approvals they supposedly depen
Alistair I had spent years imagining this moment. I had imagined rage. I had imagined violence. I had imagined watching the man responsible for destroying my family beg for mercy. But when the moment finally came, I felt none of those things. I felt calm. That was more dangerous. The desperate move he had made against Louis had given me exactly what I needed. He had exposed himself. Now I only had to make sure he understood that there was nowhere left for him to hide. I instructed my people to let the Valmont family believe the damage could still be contained. They were desperate for good news. So I gave them just enough. One investor remained. One financial line stayed open. One company continued doing business with them. They believed they had survived. They were wrong. Every remaining protection around my target was already being dismantled. The accounts he depended on were frozen. The people who had defended him for years were being forced to choose between t
ElaraAlistair had become distant.Not cold exactly.That would have been easier.Coldness was something I understood from him.This was different.He still included me in important decisions. He still asked for my opinion. He still made sure I was protected.But something in him had shifted.His attention was elsewhere.On the Valmonts.On the past.On the final stage of the revenge he had spent years building.And every time I looked into his eyes, I wondered if there was still enough room in them for me.I hated that thought.I hated even more that I couldn’t make it disappear.My phone rang that afternoon.Louis.I almost didn’t answer.Then I remembered the exhaustion in his face the last time I had seen him.“Hello?”“Can you meet me?”His voice was low.“Where?”“Somewhere private.”I agreed.When I arrived, Louis was already waiting.He looked nothing like the arrogant man I had once known.He looked tired.“I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” he admitted.I sat acros
Elara“I’m in town, Miss Dubois and I thought of reaching out to you. I hope you’ve been well? Three years ago, when you chose to walk out such a promising career, I didn't think I could advise you against it. Honestly, I believed it was your choice to make and hoped you were happy with it. But the
ElaraTo say I was shocked to see her standing in my front door would be an understatement. Why was she here early? Did Louis know she arrived earlier than they planned? My eyes narrowed at her but that didn’t seem to faze her. The smug on her face only seemed to deepen. Ignoring me completely, sh
Elara“Celia is coming back?” the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. I hated how weak and stupid I sounded, but I couldn’t take it back. Louis gave me a look like I was daft. He probably thought I was and that was why he never took me seriously. I’d spent three years trying to r
ElaraThe water rushed over me, hot and forgiving, and for a few minutes I let myself pretend it could wash away more than just the day. Three years of this. Three years of standing under spray that never quite got warm enough, in a penthouse that never felt like home, waiting for a man who never l







