Chapter 4 - THE NETWORK OF SHADOWS
The early morning light that filtered through the high-security windows of our temporary safe house in downtown Chicago was a pale, crisp silver.
I sat at the metal table, my funeral suit replaced by a sharp, tailored black business blazer, my eyes fixed on the scrolling rows of data on Marcus's monitor.
Beside me, the muddy boy from the cemetery—whose name was Leo—sat quietly eating a bowl of warm soup, his eyes finally looking peaceful.
"We have tracked the entire financial network, Daniel," Marcus said, pointing to the glowing screen.
"Victoria and Damian have been running a massive, multi-million-dollar embezzlement scheme through their Panamanian shipping lines."
"They siphoned forty million dollars from the Bennett Group's employee retirement fund to cover their bad debts."
"They needed Emma's trust patents to secure a massive loan from the central bank before the federal audit closes on Friday morning."
"If the patents aren't transferred by noon tomorrow, their entire holding company will face immediate, public bankruptcy."
"They are desperate, Daniel."
"They have already hired a private legal team to file for emergency guardianship of Emma, claiming you are mentally unstable and unfit to raise her."
I took a slow, heavy sip of my coffee, a cold, sharp smile finally replacing the weariness on my face.
"They think I am hiding in this hospital room, weeping over my daughter's recovery," I said, my voice dropping into an ice-cold frequency.
"They think they can walk into the bank tomorrow and finalize the integration without my consent."
"We are going to let them think they have succeeded, Marcus."
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"We are going to let them prepare their final boardroom merger, believing I am too broken to fight back."
"And when Victoria raises her pen to sign those deeds, we are going to drop the sky on her head."
