My husband told me he was trapped at the office working overtime. At 5:43 the next morning, I watched him walk out of a luxury hotel where he'd spent the night with another woman. I didn't cry, confront his mistress, or demand an explanation—I simply waited beside my car with divorce papers and watched the brilliant attorney realize there was finally one argument he couldn't win.

I dropped the burner phone onto the floorboard, completely shattered by the news of Mark's death.

Ethan had systematically eliminated my only legal protection and successfully framed me for murder in a single morning.

Vanessa grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to snap out of my paralyzing shock.

"We can't mourn him right now, Claire, we have to keep moving before the police ping that phone's location."

She slammed the laptop shut and threw the vehicle back into drive.

"If Ethan blocked the digital download, there is only one place left to get the master ledger," she said.

"He keeps a physical copy inside a heavy biometric safe at his private executive club downtown."

"I know his anniversary passcode, but I can't get past the facial recognition scanners," I told her.

Vanessa pulled a highly realistic, silicone mask out of her tactical duffel bag.

"We are going to walk in there disguised as the private catering staff for today's luncheon," she planned.

An hour later, we were wearing crisp white uniforms, rolling a heavy dessert cart through the luxurious club's service entrance.

We managed to slip away from the kitchen staff and navigated the opulent hallways toward Ethan's private suite.

I used a stolen master keycard to quickly bypass the heavy mahogany door.

The suite was completely empty, exactly as we had desperately hoped.

I rushed over to the massive painting on the wall and pulled it back to reveal the biometric safe.

I typed in our wedding anniversary and nervously pressed my face against the retinal scanner.

The heavy steel bolts clicked open perfectly, granting me full access.

I reached inside and grabbed the thick leather ledger, feeling a massive surge of triumph.

Suddenly, the heavy mahogany door behind me slammed completely shut, and the electronic lock engaged with a loud beep.

I spun around, terrified, expecting to see Ethan standing in the room.

The room was completely empty, but a thick, white gas began pouring rapidly from the ceiling vents.

The Clumsy Maid Bathed His Dog—Then The Mafia Boss Said She Wasn’t Leavi...

She found her husband with another woman and walked away so quietly that...

The Mafia Boss Asked a Disabled Widow If She Was Okay

Vanessa's voice echoed loudly through the suite's hidden intercom system.

"I'm so incredibly sorry, Claire, but Ethan promised me ten million dollars to deliver you to him alive."

Chapter 6 - The Setup