“As long as the ledger is destroyed and the blame falls entirely on Julian, the family will remain united.”

She gestured slightly with her gloved hand.

Harold took three fast steps forward.

Before Chloe could react, he grabbed her wrist and twisted it upward.

The gun fired once, the sound deafening in the enclosed space of the warehouse.

The bullet struck the concrete floor, sending sparks flying into the darkness.

Chloe screamed as Harold wrenched the weapon from her fingers and threw her to the ground.

She lay there, weeping and clutching her wrist.

The second guard stepped toward me, his hand outstretched.

“The ledger, Natalie,” Victoria said, her voice dropping to a cold whisper.

I looked down at the old, leather-bound book in my left hand.

It contained the true financial records, the proof of forty years of systematic bribery and tax evasion.

And in my right hand, inside my pocket, the phone was burning hot.

I looked at the small screen through the thin fabric of my coat pocket.

A tiny green light was flashing.

The private link was live.