Chapter 47: The Silent Mole

Three weeks after the destruction of Lord Sterling’s superyacht off the coast of Monaco, a deceptive calm had returned to the Reed-Hayes World Center.

It was 2:00 AM in the penthouse study of their downtown Chicago residence. The city lights below twinkled like a sea of diamonds through the floor-to-ceiling glass, but inside, the only light came from the flickering fireplace and the cool blue glow of three holographic monitors floating above the executive desk.

Isabella sat in the high-backed leather chair, her dark silk robe draped over her shoulders, her hazel eyes fixed on the third layer of decrypted files from Sterling's server drive.

A pair of warm, powerful hands came down onto her shoulders, fingers working with practiced ease to knead the tight muscles at the base of her neck. Nathan leaned down, pressing his lips against the shell of her ear, his deep baritone rumbling against her back.

"You promised me you'd be in bed an hour ago, Madam Chairwoman," Nathan murmured, his voice laced with dark, possessive warmth.

Isabella leaned her head back against his chest, closing her eyes for a brief second as she let out a slow breath. "I couldn't sleep, Counselor. The server drive... it didn't just contain European bank accounts. It has a domestic tracking log."

Nathan’s hands stilled. His storm-grey eyes shifted to the holographic screen over her head. "What kind of tracking log?"

Isabella tapped a command into the console. The screen zoomed in on a series of automated micro-transfers originating from a tier-one financial institution in Washington, D.C.—Capitol Federal Trust.

"Over the last five years," Isabella explained, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp, analytical register, "every time Reed-Hayes acquired a new clean-energy patent, zero point five percent of the voting proxy was quietly siphoned off through a non-voting blind trust in D.C."

Nathan’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening to pitch black. "A silent mole inside our domestic shareholder registry."

"Not just a mole," Isabella corrected, turning her chair to face him. "Someone with federal security clearance high enough to bypass the SEC's automatic reporting threshold."

Before Nathan could answer, the heavy double oak doors of the study opened.

Chief Miller walked in briskly, holding an encrypted tablet with a flashing red notification. "Counselor. Chairwoman. We just received an emergency broadcast from the Senate Banking Committee in Washington."

Isabella stood up, tying the belt of her robe tightly. "What broadcast?"

Miller tapped the tablet, projecting a live news feed onto the central wall screen.

A distinguished, grey-haired man in a bespoke navy suit stood behind a podium outside the United States Capitol. A banner beneath his image read: SENATOR JULIAN VANCE — CHAIR OF THE SENATE ENERGY & COMMERCE COMMITTEE.

"Effective at midnight," Senator Vance declared into the sea of press microphones, his voice booming with legal authority, "the Senate Commerce Committee has issued a subpoena for all domestic patents held by Reed-Hayes International under the National Strategic Energy Act. We are freezing the transfer of all North American clean-energy grid assets pending a federal national security audit."

Isabella’s hazel eyes flashed with dangerous, brilliant fire. "Julian Vance... Marcus Vance's older brother."

"The political arm of the Vance bloodline," Nathan growled, his massive frame exuding a terrifying, lethal aura as he stepped up beside Isabella, his hand resting tightly on the small of her back. "They couldn't defeat us in a European court, so they brought the battle to Capitol Hill."

Isabella’s phone chimed on the desk—a direct text from an unlisted Washington area code.

`The game moves to the Senate floor, Chairwoman. Let's see if your husband's legal empire can survive the Federal Government.`

Isabella looked up at Nathan, a breathtaking, cold smile touching her lips as she held his fierce gaze.

"Pack our bags, Counselor," Isabella commanded, her voice ringing out like pure steel. "We're going to Washington.”