Semua Bab Bound by Contract, Freed by Love: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Dominic's POVI walked into the war room before dawn. The table was already full of notes and coffee cups. Percival had a stack of briefs. Corbin was at the screen with the forensics feed. Elena sat with a thin file and a mug. Her eyes met mine and she gave a small, tired smile.“You look like you slept,” I said, because it was an easy thing to say.“I slept in fits,” she answered. “You?”“A little,” I lied. “We have a long day.” I put my coat down and shut the door. The sound seemed to make everyone tune in.“Status,” I said.Percival stood and spoke in the deliberate voice he used for the board. “We maintain our public posture. Counsel will draft one-line releases only. We will not name people. We will not hint. We will let the court process the facts. PR will hold. James is on standby.”Corbin pointed to the screen. “Forensics is running a broader sweep on email servers and archives. We found a handful of suspicious correspondences tied to the VOSS_OPS tag. They are hashed and queu

Dominic's POVstarted the day with a call to Nassau. Navarro picked up on the second ring. Her voice was flat and direct.“Blackwood,” she said. “We have the packet. We can move if you have one clean link. Bank authorization. Signed directive. Something a judge will not toss out.”“I know,” I said. “We have metadata, courier headers, and a match on VOSS_OPS. It’s good. It’s not clean enough for their standards. They want a document with a name or an authorization stamp.”“Then give it to me,” she said. “We cannot freeze or seize without that. Offshore needs a paper trail.”We laid out what we had. I kept the list short and legal. I did not use words like theory. I used words like probable cause and correspondent logs.After the call I sat in my study and read the encrypted headers again. The room felt smaller than it should have. The case had leveled up. It had teeth. It needed a tooth to fit right into a socket.I thought of the ledger files and of the old photograph Elena had receiv

Dominic’s POVThe call came before dawn. Corbin’s voice on the secure line was short.“We have a pickup,” he said. “Courier flight inbound with sealed docs. Team is ready. You want to see?”“Yes,” I said. I grabbed my jacket. I told Percival I was leaving the penthouse and to meet me at the staging room.I drove fast. The city was quiet. My hands stayed on the wheel like they were holding a plan. I thought of the ledger lines and the shredded paths we had been following. I thought of Voss and of a list of men who did not like light. I felt both hunger and a careful fear.At the staging room Corbin was waiting. Castillo’s team stood in a tight line. Reyes texted he was on standby for the foreign angle. Ms. Alvarez had the sealed motions with her. Laurent sat with a laptop and a folder. Everyone looked ready.“Walk me through it,” I said.Corbin passed a tablet. “The flight had a courier load bound for a private vault. Our contact flagged the manifest. We got a tip that a sealed envelope

Dominic's POVThe morning after Nassau put the charges on the table, the penthouse felt too small for the noise in my head. I went straight to the office. I needed paper and people and a rhythm. I needed the work to keep me honest.Percival met me at the door. He held a tablet with three open windows. “We have movement in the markets,” he said. “The firm put out a denial but markets are nervous. Some board members are asking for a special meeting. One wants a leadership review.”“Call the meeting,” I said. “Set it for noon. Bring counsel and the audit lead. Keep it calm.”He did. He already had the room when I walked in. The others arrived in the usual blur: chairs, thin files, practiced faces. I sat and let them look at me like I was the axis.“Dominic,” the chair said. “This is serious. The investor is charged. The firm denies. Our stock is down. People want answers. Some of us think a leadership review is prudent.”I listened. I let the room air out. Then I spoke.“We will be transp

Elena's POVI drove to the clinic early because the volunteer asked to meet before the day got busy. I sat in the small waiting room and watched the light move across the tiles. My hands closed around a paper cup.He came in slow. He wore a flat cap and a worn coat. He smiled like someone who had been given courage.“You Elena?” he asked.“Yes,” I said. “Thank you for coming.”He nodded and sat. “I heard you were looking for old things,” he said. “I thought I should tell what I remember.”“You can say it slowly,” I said. “We can record it. Corbin will log it. Counsel will be in the loop. You will be protected if needed.”He looked at the recorder on the table. “Record?” he said.“Yes,” I said. “It keeps things exact. Corbin will archive the file.”He took a breath. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll try.”“How long ago was this?” I asked.“Many years,” he said. “I was closing up. The street outside was colder than now.”“Did you see anyone?” I asked.“A van. A dark van. It stopped by the servi