Chapter 7 - Unmasked
Ethan hesitated, his gaze locked on mine, searching my eyes for answers. What he found wasn't anger or sorrow, but cold, relentless purpose. He signaled to his chief tech officer. "Run it. On the main screens."
Victoria’s breath hitched audibly. "Ethan, this is ridiculous. She’s probably trying to deflect blame for abandoning you during—"
"I said run it," Ethan barked, his voice dropping an octave into pure, lethal command.
The tech officer plugged the drive into the master terminal. In seconds, audio waves danced across the massive digital displays lining the boardroom walls.
A voice crackled through the high-definition speakers—crisp, unmistakable, and sickeningly sweet.
“The hydraulic line is cut, Julian. Claire and her father won't make it to Michigan Avenue. The files are gone.”
The boardroom went dead silent. The Carter lieutenants glanced at each other, their grips tightening on their firearms.
Ethan’s posture froze. His eyes slowly shifted from the screen to Victoria, who was now clutching her designer handbag against her chest like a shield.
“Good girl,” Julian Rossi’s voice replied through the speakers. “Once Ethan realizes his wife is dead, he’ll spiral. He always does when his guilt takes over. By the time he figures out the offshore accounts have been drained into our Cayman entities, the Rossi family will own the docks, the casino, and the Carter name.”
“Just make sure Ethan doesn't suspect the knee injury,” Victoria’s voice laughed, a cold, mocking sound that stripped away every ounce of innocence she had ever performed. “He was so eager to play the hero, he didn't even notice me uploading the trojan into his terminal while he fetched me ice.”
The recording clicked off.
Ethan stood motionless in the center of the room. The silence was heavier than a tomb. The air grew freezing, suffocating, as the full weight of the truth settled over him: his loyalty had been weaponized against the only person who had ever truly loved him. He had protected his father’s murderer. He had caused the death of the man who had treated him like a son.
He turned toward Victoria.
She was trembling now, but not like she had on the theater stage. This was the raw, unadulterated terror of a traitor cornered by a beast.
"Ethan... Ethan, listen to me," she stammered, backing toward the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows. "He threatened my family! Julian forced me to do it! You know I’ve always loved you—"
"You touched my wife," Ethan whispered. It wasn't a roar. It was a terrifying, quiet statement that made the veteran soldiers in the room shudder. "You let her father bleed out in the cold. And you used my guilt to blind me."
He didn't raise his hand against her. He didn't have to.
He looked at his chief lieutenant, Frank. "Take her down to the sub-basement. Julian Rossi is attacking the South Side harbor tonight. She will be the bait."
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"Ethan, please!" Victoria screamed as two burly guards dragged her backward, her designer heels scraping desperately against the floor. "Ethan! Claire, tell him! Please!"
The heavy doors slammed shut behind her, cutting off her cries.
