Chapter 3: The Viper in the Garden
When Ethan returned home that evening, Clara showed him the file. The reaction was terrifying; Ethan didn’t shout. He went completely, dangerously silent. The man who had spent seven years mourning his wife was suddenly replaced by a man ready to burn the world down to protect her.
"Who?" Ethan’s voice was a lethal whisper as he paced the study. "Who had access to your car? Who knew your route to the coast that night?"
Clara closed her eyes, forcing herself to revisit the darkest night of her life. "It was a last-minute trip. I wanted to visit my sister. The only people who knew were you, my sister, and..." She paused, her eyes snapping open. "And Julian."
Julian Croft.
Julian was Ethan’s right-hand man, the Chief Operating Officer of Monroe Industries, and Ethan’s closest confidant since college. When Clara ‘died,’ Julian had been the one to hold the company together while Ethan grieved. Julian was the one who had practically run the empire for the last seven years, amassing immense wealth and power in Ethan’s shadow.
"Julian wouldn't," Ethan said, though hesitation laced his words. "He was the one who pulled me out of my depression. He was the one who—"
"Who gained the most from my death, Ethan," Clara finished softly. "If I was gone, you were broken. If you were broken, he had control."
They needed proof. Ethan couldn't simply accuse his COO of attempted murder without solid evidence. They needed a way into Julian's private, encrypted files. They needed a mole.
The next morning, Clara made a phone call she never thought she would make.
They met at a discreet, upscale café downtown. Vanessa Collins walked in, looking as immaculate as ever, though her eyes held a guarded curiosity. Since the engagement party, she had kept her distance out of respect, gracefully bowing out of the public eye.
"Clara," Vanessa said, taking a seat. "I admit, I was surprised by your call."
Clara didn't waste time. She explained everything. The cut brakes, the detective, the suspicion falling heavily on Julian.
Vanessa’s expression shifted from polite surprise to a hardened, calculating glare. "Julian," she muttered. "It makes perfect sense. When Ethan and I were together, Julian constantly tried to feed me doubts about Ethan's mental state. He wanted me to convince Ethan to step down as CEO and sell his voting shares. I refused."
Vanessa reached across the table, placing her hand over Clara’s. "Julian Croft used Ethan’s grief as a ladder. Tell me what you need me to do."
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"You still have your security clearance at the Monroe Tower," Clara said. "We need access to Julian's private offshore accounts. We need to follow the money from seven years ago."
Vanessa smiled—a sharp, dangerous smile. "Consider it done."
