Chapter 6 - The Desperate Blackmail
Chloe was a drowning woman fighting for a life raft. Arthur had thrown her out of his penthouse the moment his fund collapsed, blaming her for his total destruction.
She had no money, no powerful men left to manipulate, and her face was plastered all over the financial tabloids as the "Black Widow of Wall Street" who had orchestrated the Vance Capital collapse.
Desperate, she showed up at the gates of my estate in the pouring rain.
Marcus buzzed my study. “Sir, she’s at the front gate. She says she has something you want, and if you don't let her in, she’s going to the press.”
“Let her into the foyer,” I commanded. “Have security stand by.”
I walked downstairs to find her dripping wet, shivering in the marble entrance hall. She looked entirely broken. The glamour was gone; all that was left was a desperate, vicious cornered rat.
“You think you won?” she spat, pulling a wet manila envelope from her coat. “I have photos, Julian. I have bank statements. I’ll tell the press you sexually assaulted me. I’ll say you hit me. I’ll ruin your reputation. Just give me ten million dollars and I’ll disappear.”
I looked at her, completely unfazed.
“Extortion is a federal crime, Chloe,” I said calmly. “And you’re standing in a room with four hidden security cameras recording every word you say.”
She froze, looking up at the ceiling corners in sheer panic.
“You want to go to the press?” I asked, stepping closer to her, my height and presence forcing her to shrink back. “Go. But before you do, you should know that I forwarded your real dossier to the FBI this morning. Clarissa Vane.”
May you like
Her breath hitched. “You… you don't know what you’re talking about.”
“The oil tycoon in Texas?” I continued relentlessly. “My private investigators found the nurse you bribed to alter his medication. They found the offshore account where you hid his stolen assets. The FBI is issuing an arrest warrant as we speak.”
