Chapter 5 - The Snake in Silk
Safe back inside the surveillance van, the atmosphere was suffocating. Callum flipped through the pages of Julian’s notebook under the dim amber dashboard light. Every entry was a damning indictment: bank routing numbers in the Cayman Islands, kickback schedules for corrupt port inspectors, and explicit details on how the security feeds at North Pier Bay 4 were being systematically looped to conceal the theft.
""This is enough to indict Julian and Kellner on racketeering and conspiracy,"" Agent Miller said, tapping a pen against her legal pad. ""But it doesn't touch Dorothea Alden. Alden is a seasoned corporate defense attorney. She never signs her name to illicit operational notes. She uses third-party holding companies and attorney-client privilege as an iron shield. To take her down, we need to catch her orchestrating the fraudulent audit in person.""
""Dorothea has a private safety deposit box at the Meridian Trust Bank,"" Callum stated, his voice laced with venom. ""She keeps the original, unamended copy of my father’s corporate trust there. The one that proves Julian was disinherited two years ago for embezzling funds from the hospitality accounts. If that trust comes to light, Julian’s legal claim to the chairman seat is utterly void, and Dorothea’s injunction falls apart on procedural grounds.""
""The Meridian Trust doesn't grant access without a court order or the primary keyholder's physical presence,"" Miller countered. ""And Dorothea keeps the biometric key on a discreet titanium pendant around her neck.""
Wren leaned forward, her eyes sharp. ""She's attending the annual Winter Solstice Gala at the Metropolitan Symphony Hall tomorrow night. Julian mentioned she was meeting him there before the audit preparations.""
Callum looked at Wren, shaking his head immediately. ""No. Absolutely not. The entire elite tier of this city will be in that ballroom. Julian and Kellner will be on high alert. If they see you alive—""
""They won't see Wren the beaten waitress,"" Wren interrupted firmly, cutting through Callum’s protective instinct with unyielding resolve. ""They're expecting a battered body in a morgue. They’ve never seen me outside an apron with my hair pinned up and a notepad in my hand. You’re Callum Vance, the crown prince of the waterfront. You’re expected to attend the gala to maintain the illusion that you have no idea what’s coming on December third.""
Agent Miller raised an eyebrow, a calculating smirk forming on her lips. ""She's right, Callum. If you show up alone, Julian will know you're suspicious. But if you walk into that ballroom with an enigmatic, stunning woman on your arm, playing the arrogant billionaire who thinks he’s untouchable, you control the room’s psychology. While you draw Dorothea’s attention, our undercover agents can create a staged distraction, allowing Wren to lift the pendant.""
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Callum’s jaw tightened. He looked at Wren, seeing the raw courage beneath her fragile, bruised exterior. ""You don't know how to pickpocket an attorney at a black-tie gala, Wren.""
""Four years at The Lockwood, Callum,"" Wren smiled faintly, a defiant spark in her gaze. ""I’ve pulled loaded revolvers, blackmail flash drives, and wedding rings out of drunk senators' suit pockets while serving dessert so they wouldn't shoot each other in the dining room. Getting a pendant off a vain lawyer’s neck during a crowded champagne toast is child's play.""
