Chapter 10 - The False Victory
Brooklyn stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the mysterious folder resting on the hood of the car.
Winston drew his weapon and swept the dark perimeter of the garage, looking for any lingering threats.
“The area is clear,” Winston announced, lowering his gun.
Brooklyn approached the vehicle carefully and reached out to pick up the folder.
It felt heavy in her hands.
She had finally won the war against the family that had tried to throw her away like garbage.
Bradley was facing a lifetime in federal prison for a murder he failed to commit.
Cassandra’s baby would be born into a shattered legacy, completely cut off from the smuggling port empire.
She was finally free to rebuild her life, and she felt entirely safe standing next to the man who had pulled her from the freezing lake.
“What is it?” Winston asked, stepping up behind her and placing a warm hand on her shoulder.
“I don't know,” she murmured, peeling back the metal clasp.
She opened the file and pulled out a stack of aged, yellowing documents.
The first page was a copy of the deed to her grandmother’s shipping port, dated ten years ago.
The second page was a series of wire transfers, detailing massive payouts made from a shell company to Bradley Whitfield’s private bank account.
The dates on the wire transfers were highly specific.
They began exactly one month before Bradley had ever asked her out on their very first date.
Brooklyn’s breath hitched in her throat as she realized Bradley hadn't targeted her on his own.
Someone had paid him a fortune to manipulate her, marry her, and eventually dispose of her to seize the asset.
She flipped to the final page of the dossier, looking for the name of the shell company that had funded her entire nightmare.
The corporate seal at the bottom of the page was entirely unmistakable.
It was the exact same emblem tattooed across Winston Marchetti’s upper chest.
Brooklyn slowly turned her head to look at the man who had supposedly saved her life.
Winston looked back at her, his warm, comforting expression completely gone, replaced by a cold, calculating smile.
May you like
He slowly raised his handgun and pointed it directly at her forehead.
“You really should have stayed in the water, Brooklyn,” he whispered.
