Chapter 4: The House of Cards Collapses
Midnight.
A fleet of five blacked-out SUVs tore down Michigan Avenue, their reinforced steel frames cutting through the midnight fog like predators in the dark. Daniel sat in the back of the lead vehicle, Ethan tucked securely against his side under a thick blanket.
Vance sat in the front passenger seat, tablets glowing with real-time operational feeds. "FBI and financial crimes units are already moving in on Marcus’s downtown office, sir. We intercepted him trying to wire twenty million dollars to a non-extradition account in the Caymans. We cut the transfer. He’s cornered."
"And Clara?" Daniel asked, his hand gently stroking Ethan’s hair.
"She’s at the Greenwich estate, trying to pack whatever jewelry and bearer bonds she can find. Local PD has the perimeter locked down. They are waiting for your arrival to execute the warrant."
When the caravan pulled up the long, grand driveway of the Caldwell-Carter estate—the multi-million dollar manor Daniel had abandoned out of grief a year ago—the house was surrounded by flashing blue and red police lights.
Clara was being led down the marble front steps in handcuffs, her expensive fur coat dragged through the dirt as she screamed at the officers. Marcus was already in the back of a separate police cruiser, his head pressed against the glass, his face completely hollowed by ruin.
The moment Clara saw Daniel step out of the SUV, her screams turned into desperate pleas. "Daniel! Please! Marcus forced me into it! We were in debt to the wrong people! We didn't hurt him, I swear! We kept him fed, we kept him safe!"
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Daniel didn't even stop walking. He didn't offer her a single glance. He walked past her as if she were a piece of discarded garbage on his manicured lawn.
"You buried an empty box and watched me weep over it for twelve months," Daniel said, his voice cutting through her hysterics like winter frost. "You don't get to say his name ever again."
