Chapter 5 - The Devil's Bargain
I yanked my wrist out of Julian's iron grip, my pulse pounding fiercely in my ears.
I glared at him, refusing to let his physical intimidation break the cold armor I had built around myself.
I told him that I did not take orders from criminals who break into my home through shattered windows.
Julian simply smirked, leaning back against the marble island as if he were a guest at a dinner party.
I carefully opened the thick manila folder he had provided, scanning the top document with a critical eye.
It was a series of encrypted bank statements detailing Brooke's secret offshore transactions.
Every single transfer was routed through the fake consulting firm straight into an account located in the Cayman Islands.
Brooke had brilliantly disguised the stolen money as legitimate vendor payouts to avoid the IRS.
Julian explained that Brooke's cousin, Marcus, was the weak link holding the entire operation together.
If Marcus cracked under pressure, the entire house of cards would collapse directly onto Brooke and Arthur.
I realized that Julian had just handed me the exact roadmap I needed to systematically dismantle their lives.
I looked up from the documents and told Julian that I would accept his twisted bargain.
I promised to use my high-powered legal team to ensure Brooke was declared an unfit mother.
In exchange, Julian had to testify in federal court that Arthur was a willing participant in the corporate fraud.
Julian agreed immediately, extending his hand to seal our dark, uncomfortable alliance.
I ignored his hand, telling him to leave my house before my private security detail arrived.
He chuckled softly, pulling his dark hood back over his head and stepping over the broken glass.
Before he vanished into the dark backyard, he told me to watch my back.
He warned me that Brooke was far more dangerous than Arthur could ever be.
I spent the next three hours sitting in the dark, meticulously scanning every page of the cartel evidence.
By the time the sun began to rise, I had formulated a flawless strategy to execute them legally.
I picked up my phone and called Brooke's cousin, Marcus, catching him just as he woke up.
I told Marcus that I had the offshore ledgers and gave him exactly one hour to meet me at my lawyer's office.
I threatened to hand the documents over to the FBI if he was even one minute late.
Marcus arrived at the office covered in cold sweat, looking like a man walking to his own execution.
He immediately broke down in tears, ready to confess everything to save himself from prison.
But before my lawyer could turn on the recording device, Marcus dropped a bombshell that ruined my entire plan.
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He revealed that Arthur had not been tricked by Brooke at all.
Arthur was the mastermind who had hired the cartel to eliminate me.
