Chapter 8 - The Decoy
Brandon stared at the airline ticket in absolute, crushing confusion.
He demanded to know why Emily had bought a ticket for the woman who ruined their marriage.
Marcus smiled thinly, a terrifying expression that showed far too many teeth.
He explained that Emily didn't just want to escape; she wanted to ensure Brandon could never follow her.
The ticket was a meticulously planned decoy designed to frame Sloan for the ultimate crime.
Marcus casually revealed that Emily had transferred all forty million dollars of the stolen funds.
She hadn't hidden the money in offshore accounts or complex crypto wallets.
She had transferred every single cent directly into a private bank account registered exclusively to Sloan Whitmore.
Brandon felt the air leave his lungs as the sheer brilliance of the trap finally clicked into place.
Emily had used the exact same financial channels Brandon had set up to frame her.
But she had cleverly reversed the flow of the money, leaving a massive, undeniable paper trail leading straight to Sloan.
When Alder Crest's security team inevitably hacked the bank records, they wouldn't see Brandon as the thief.
They would see Sloan as the ultimate mastermind who stole the money and planned to flee the country.
Sloan was currently tearing the penthouse apart looking for a ledger that no longer mattered.
She was already a dead woman walking, entirely consumed by Emily's brilliant revenge.
Brandon realized Emily had expertly manipulated everyone, using their own greed against them.
He looked at Marcus, terrified of what his role in this grand finale was supposed to be.
Marcus ordered the silent driver to pull the town car into an abandoned parking garage near the docks.
The car stopped in the darkest corner of the concrete structure, far away from any streetlights.
Marcus turned to Brandon, the suppressed pistol now pointed directly at his chest.
He told Brandon that the original plan was to let him take the blame for the corporate theft.
But Emily had changed her mind at the very last second.
She had decided that corporate prison was far too good a fate for the man who ignored her screams.
Marcus reached over and violently snatched the thick envelope of cash and passports back.
He informed Brandon that he was getting out of the car right now, completely empty-handed.
He would have no money, no identity, and no protection from the corporate hitmen currently hunting him.
Brandon panicked, begging for mercy, promising he would do anything to make it right.
He screamed that he couldn't survive on the streets with Sloan's men actively trying to kill him.
Marcus shoved the cold barrel of the gun hard against Brandon's trembling jaw.
He whispered that survival was no longer Brandon's right; it was merely a terrifying possibility.
He kicked the heavy car door open and violently shoved Brandon out onto the freezing concrete.
The town car's tires screeched as it immediately sped away, leaving Brandon alone in the dark.
Brandon scrambled to his feet, shivering violently in his thin suit as the reality of his situation set in.
He heard the distinct sound of heavy boots echoing against the concrete walls of the parking garage.
He turned slowly and saw three massive men stepping out from the shadows, blocking the only exit.
They weren't Sloan's corporate security team.
They were wearing heavy leather jackets, and the leader was holding a crowbar.
The leader smiled, revealing a row of gold teeth, and asked Brandon if he had the money he owed them.
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Brandon realized with absolute horror that Emily hadn't just framed Sloan.
She had intentionally dumped him right into the hands of the dangerous loan sharks he had borrowed from to fund his fake lifestyle.
