An officer was walking around the dark SUV, shining a flashlight through the driver’s side window.

“Where did you get this?” Bell asked, his voice suddenly much quieter.

“The source of the document is irrelevant for the purposes of our negotiation,” Lydia said. “What matters is that we have the complete ledger.”

“It details every transaction Julian made through the offshore accounts over the last four years.”

“If this goes to a judge during the discovery phase, it becomes public record,” Lydia continued.

“The IRS and the SEC will have copies of these files before the week is over.”

“This is blackmail, Lydia,” Bell said, though his voice lacked conviction.

“It is a standard settlement negotiation in a high-asset divorce,” Lydia corrected him. “We are offering your client a chance to settle this privately.”

“He signs over the shares to Elena, and we agree to destroy our copies of the ledger upon execution of the final decree.”

“I need to call my client,” Bell said.

“He has until noon tomorrow,” Lydia said. “If the signed agreement is not in my inbox by twelve o’clock, I am filing the divorce petition in court, along with a motion for immediate disclosure of all offshore holdings.”