Part 2
Ethan spent the next hour analyzing every page,
trying to decode the financial web his mother left behind.
Ava sat beside him at the wooden dining table,
her expression deeply serious as she watched him work.
Lena poured fresh tea for everyone,
hoping to bring some comfort to the tense room.
"Every single dollar was moved quietly,"
Ethan muttered,
tracing a line of numbers with his finger.
"She emptied her private reserves before the state could freeze them."
"But why give it to this Julian Vance?"
Ava asked,
her brow furrowed in deep thought.
"If she was going to prison,
she would want that money for her own appeals."
Ethan shook his head,
looking at a signed contract attached to the files.
"It looks like a payoff,
or perhaps a long-term agreement."
He picked up his phone,
knowing there was only one person who could help them.
He dialed the number for Detective Laura Mitchell,
hoping she was still at her desk.
The phone rang three times before a familiar voice answered.
"Ethan,"
Laura said,
her tone instantly shifting to professional alertness.
"I did not expect to hear from you so soon,
is everything alright?"
"Not exactly,
Detective,"
Ethan replied,
staring at the foreign bank seal.
"We just received an anonymous package at our new home."
"It contains records of an offshore trust belonging to my mother."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
"An offshore trust?"
Laura asked,
the sound of her typing in the background.
"We audited all her known domestic and international accounts."
"This one was hidden under a shell company called Vance Holdings,"
Ethan explained.
"And the money went to a man named Julian Vance."
The typing suddenly stopped,
replaced by a sharp intake of breath from Laura.
"Julian Vance,"
she repeated,
her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Ethan,
are you absolutely sure about that name?"
"It is written right here on the final beneficiary clause,"
he said.
"Do you know who he is?"
"He is a high-level corporate fixer,"
Laura explained grimly.
"He cleans up messes for the wealthiest families in the country."
"We suspected he worked with your mother in the past,
but we never found proof."
"If he has her money,
he has her power now."
Ethan felt a heavy weight settle on his shoulders.
"What does he want from us?"
he asked aloud.
"He might not want anything from you,"
Laura warned.
"But he will protect Margaret's interests to keep his payout."
"I am coming down to your location immediately,"
she added.
"Do not confront anyone,
and keep those documents safe."
Ethan hung up the phone,
looking at Ava with a determined gaze.
"The detective is coming,"
he told her,
taking her hand in his.
"We are not going to let them destroy our peace."
Ava squeezed his hand back,
her eyes flashing with a fierce light.
"We fought her,
and we won,"
May you like
she said firmly.
"We can fight him too."
