Chapter 6 - THE SWISS MIRAGE
The next day,
I met Evelyn at her office to play the recording.
As the voices of Grant and Madison filled the room,
Evelyn's eyes widened,
and she let out a whistle.
"This is gold,
Claire,"
she said,
stopping the recording.
"This proves intent to defraud his shareholders and embezzle funds."
"But we still need to know exactly how they are moving the money through Vanguard Horizon."
"My financial forensic investigator spent the night digging into the Delaware shell company,"
she continued,
pulling up a map on her computer screen.
"Vanguard Horizon is linked to an offshore bank account in Zurich,
Switzerland."
"The account is registered under a corporate entity called 'Aegis Trust.'"
"And guess who the co-signers on that Swiss account are?"
"Grant and Madison?"
I guessed.
"No,"
Evelyn said,
leaning forward,
"Grant Whitaker and...
Julian Croft."
The name hit me like a physical blow.
Julian Croft was Grant's fiercest business rival,
the head of Croft Global Enterprises,
a man who had spent the last decade trying to destroy Whitaker Legacy Holdings.
"Julian?"
I whispered,
my mind racing to connect the dots.
"Why would Grant be in business with Julian?"
"They're supposed to be enemies."
"They are,"
Evelyn said,
"which means this isn't a joint venture."
"This is a betrayal on a scale we didn't expect."
"Your husband isn't just stealing from his company to build a life with his mistress."
"He's being blackmailed or bribed by his biggest competitor."
"And Madison?"
I asked.
"She's the bridge,"
Evelyn replied.
"She worked for Croft Global before she became Grant's assistant."
"She was a plant,
Claire."
"Julian Croft sent her to infiltrate Whitaker Holdings,
seduce your husband,
and get him to siphon off his own company's money into their shared Swiss account."
The realization was dizzying.
My husband,
who thought he was the ultimate puppet master,
was actually the biggest puppet in the room.
He had been manipulated by his mistress,
who was actually working for his worst enemy,
to destroy his own family legacy.
And he had tried to force me to sign an NDA to keep it all a secret.
"So the baby..."
I began,
the pieces finally falling into place.
"Could be Julian's,"
Evelyn finished my sentence,
her eyes dark.
"Or it could be a complete lie,
designed to keep Grant compliant while they bleed him dry."
"What do we do?"
I asked,
feeling a cold,
ruthless anger settle over me.
"We let them play their game,"
Evelyn said,
a dangerous smile on her lips.
"And we prepare to take all of them down at once."
"Grant,
Madison,
and Julian Croft."
"But first,
May you like
we need to make Grant paranoid."
"We need him to start questioning Madison's loyalty."
