Chapter 12 - THE DEEPENING TRAP
At 2:00 AM, Marissa met Julian in an underground parking garage in the city's financial district. The air was cold, damp, and smelled of gasoline and concrete.
Julian stood beside his car, smoking a cigarette, the tip glowing amber in the dim utility light.
"You were right about the offshore trails," Julian said, tossing a manila folder onto the hood of his sedan. "Eleanor isn't just bribing local officials. She’s been laundering money through a network of shell companies in Panama for over a decade. The total amount is well over two hundred million dollars."
Marissa opened the folder, scanning the financial diagrams under the dim overhead lamp. "Does the federal prosecutor have this?"
"Not yet," Julian said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "If I leak this to the Department of Justice, Eleanor will be arrested within forty-eight hours. But Marissa... if the feds freeze all Vance family assets, your personal accounts, your house, and Lily's trust will be seized as part of the asset forfeiture."
"I don't care about the money," Marissa said instantly, her eyes cold.
"You should," Julian warned, leaning closer. "Without that money, you won't be able to afford the legal defense team you're going to need when Eleanor's lawyers try to spin this as a conspiracy run by you and your father."
Marissa looked up at Julian, her gaze piercing. "She used my daughter, Julian. She made Lily part of her sick game. I am going to tear down every single brick of this family's legacy, even if I have to stand in the ashes myself."
Julian looked at her for a long moment, seeing the absolute determination in her eyes, and slowly nodded. "All right. Then we play it all the way. But you need to know one more thing."
"What?"
May you like
"Gareth just made a deal with the district attorney from his jail cell," Julian revealed quietly. "He's agreeing to testify against Eleanor in exchange for a reduced sentence on the child endangerment charges."
Marissa let out a cold, sharp laugh. "The rats are eating each other."
