Chapter 18 - Unearthing the Shadow
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I got back into my car, locked the doors, and immediately called Ben. Within four minutes, two patrol cars pulled into the garage, arresting Adrian on the spot for violating the domestic protective order.
Later that evening, Ben came over to my house to check on me. We sat in the kitchen, drinking warm tea while rain tapped against the windowpanes.
"He's in holding," Ben reported, putting down his mug. "Judge Warren set his bail at half a million. He won't be getting out anytime soon."
"Thank you, Ben," I murmured.
Ben looked at me thoughtfully, pulling a thin legal pad from his briefcase.
"Lydia, while Natalie was reviewing the Northgate transactions, my team stumbled onto something else," Ben said carefully. "Something that doesn't make sense."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Northgate Advisory wasn't just a shell company to hide money from your divorce," Ben explained, sliding a paper across the table. "Some of the funds funneled into Northgate were immediately transferred out to an offshore account registered in the Cayman Islands under a entity called 'Vanguard Apex.'"
I stared at the name. "Vanguard Apex? I've never heard of it."
"Neither had Lumina's board," Ben said, his tone turning serious. "Adrian wasn't working alone. Someone else was bankrolling Lumina Grid's early investment rounds six years ago—someone who demanded massive, illegal off-the-books payouts routed through Northgate."
"Are you saying Adrian was being blackmailed?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat.
"Or he was partnering with someone far more dangerous than a corrupt CEO," Ben replied softly. "Whoever is behind Vanguard Apex was using Adrian to launder money through green energy municipal contracts."
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The room grew suddenly chilly. The realization hit me like a splash of ice water: Adrian's sudden, desperate rush to force me into signing a divorce waiver wasn't just about his affair or his corporate greed.
He was frantically trying to clear his personal books before his hidden partners realized the SEC was watching.
