Chapter 10 - The Last Laugh
Gretchen thanked the courier, closed the heavy door, and carried the envelope securely back into the kitchen.
She assumed it was simply the final, official confirmation of her legally separated financial accounts.
She tore the paper open and pulled out a single, heavily stamped bank statement.
She scanned the printed numbers, fully expecting to see her modest, hard-earned savings balance.
Her coffee mug slipped completely from her fingers and shattered violently against the hardwood floor.
The official bank statement clearly showed a massive, incoming international wire transfer that had cleared just an hour ago.
Her checking account balance now sat at exactly twelve million, four hundred thousand dollars.
It was the original missing 1.2 million, plus a staggering, completely impossible fortune attached to it.
She frantically flipped the page over to see who had authorized such a massive, terrifying deposit.
A small, handwritten note on thick black cardstock slipped out from between the pages and landed heavily on the counter.
The elegant silver ink glittered ominously under the bright kitchen lights.
The note read: "You played your part perfectly, Mrs. Gretchen."
She stared at the terrifying words, her entire body breaking out in a cold, paralyzing sweat.
May you like
The final line of the sinister letter completely shattered her peaceful new reality.
"Joshua was merely a distraction, and now it is time for you to fulfill the real contract you unknowingly signed for my boss."
