Chapter 7
1483 Words
The city skyline blurred through the coffee shop window, rain streaking down the glass like tears. Eliza Trent stirred her drink with a trembling hand, her gaze flicking between Maya and Dante.
“I should have come forward years ago,” she said quietly. “But Jared made sure I couldn’t.”
Maya leaned in. “Did he threaten you?”
“Not directly.” Eliza sighed. “But when I refused to look the other way on the Mergeon merger, I got a visit from a lawyer. Confidentiality clause. A severance package. And a warning—it would be hard to get hired anywhere else if I left with trouble.”
Dante’s jaw tightened. “He blacklisted you.”
“I needed the money. My son was sick back then. I signed the papers.”
Maya nodded. “We understand. But we need your help now.”
Eliza hesitated. “I kept copies. Not of everything, but enough to show what was being done. Jared rerouted funds into fake vendor accounts. He even used company insurance payouts to hide losses.”
Dante sat forward, eyes sharp. “Would you be willing to talk to our legal team? Quietly. No exposure.”
Eliza hesitated. Then she nodded. “But I want protection. I won’t be the fall girl if this blows up.”
“You won’t be,” Dante said. “I promise.”
She looked at him. “You’d better be ready for war, Mr. Valerio. Your brother plays dirty.”
Dante’s expression hardened. “So do I.”
—
Back at Valerio Industries, the office was buzzing.
Whispers of an unexpected board meeting, last-minute file requests, and encrypted emails flying between departments. Maya sat at her desk, reviewing the documents Eliza had shared.
Each page was more damning than the last.
She wasn’t sure how Jared had kept this hidden for so long. Unless…
Her thoughts were interrupted by Olivia—the firm’s sleek, sharp head of PR.
“Maya, can I borrow you for a second?”
Maya stood, nerves flickering. “Sure.”
They stepped into a small glass conference room. Olivia closed the door.
“I heard from someone in legal that you’ve been asking questions about old mergers.”
Maya kept her expression neutral. “I’ve been working on a special audit Dante assigned me.”
Olivia tilted her head. “You’re new. Talented, from what I hear. I’d hate to see you get caught up in something political.”
“Is that a warning?” Maya asked.
“A suggestion,” Olivia said coolly. “Keep your head down. This company has layers.”
Maya gave a tight smile. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
But inside, her suspicion deepened.
Olivia knew more than she was letting on.
—
That night, Maya returned home with a folder tucked into her bag and tension burning in her chest.
She hadn’t told Dante yet—but she was starting to suspect Jared wasn’t working alone.
There were too many blind spots. Too many missing reports, too many closed-door conversations.
And then there was Ethan.
Her phone buzzed again just as she walked through her door.
A photo.
Her standing with Dante outside the coffee shop. Eliza blurred in the background.
A message followed:
“So this is what you’re into now? Digging graves? Be careful you don’t fall in.” – E
Maya’s breath caught. She locked the door behind her, pulled the curtains, and stared at the message again.
Ethan wasn’t just watching.
He was threatening her.
And someone had taken that picture up close.
Was he in the city?
Was he following her?
She called Dante immediately.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“I’m on my way.”
—
Twenty minutes later, Dante arrived.
His tie was loose, his hair windswept, his expression grim.
“What happened?”
Maya handed him her phone.
He stared at the photo. “Where was this taken?”
“Today. Outside the coffee shop.”
His eyes narrowed. “He’s here.”
Maya nodded. “And he’s watching.”
“I’ll have security follow you.”
“That won’t be enough,” she said. “He’s not just stalking. He knows what we’re doing.”
Dante looked at her, quiet for a moment. Then he walked to the window, hands in his pockets.
“I’m going to file a formal internal investigation. Use Eliza’s testimony, expose Jared quietly.”
Maya shook her head. “Too soon. If Ethan’s involved—and I think he is—this could blow wider than corporate fraud.”
Dante turned sharply. “What do you mean?”
“I think Jared might be working with him.”
“You think Ethan and my brother are—”
“Connected, yes,” Maya said. “Ethan always knew too much. He hated Valerio Industries after his family lost a contract years ago. He used to talk about bringing it down.”
Dante’s face darkened. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because I didn’t think it mattered. Until now.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t just embezzlement anymore. It’s sabotage.”
—
The next morning, Dante called a secret meeting with Maya and one of his most trusted advisors—a former federal investigator named Claire Maddox.
Claire reviewed the files Maya and Eliza had compiled. Her eyes moved quickly, mouth tight.
“This is enough to open a legal investigation,” she said. “But once we do, there’s no going back. Jared will lawyer up. If he’s working with anyone else—Ethan included—they’ll retaliate.”
“Can we prove it?” Dante asked.
“Not yet,” Claire said. “But we can bait them. Push a false leak. Pretend to move money to a fake account—see who tries to intercept.”
Maya nodded. “A trap.”
Claire looked at her. “You willing to be the bait?”
Maya didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Dante looked at her with something between pride and worry. “You don’t have to.”
“I do,” she said. “I’m already in the fire. Might as well use the heat.”
—
Two days later, the plan was in motion.
Maya logged into a dummy financial terminal set up to look like a hidden offshore transfer system. Using files Jared had used before, she built a fake transaction trail—one that looked too good for someone like him to ignore.
The trap was set.
Now they waited.
—
That night, Maya received another message.
Not from Ethan.
From a restricted internal address.
Stop digging. You’ll only bury yourself.
Maya showed it to Dante.
“This came from inside the company,” she said.
He nodded. “Then we’re getting close.”
—
Meanwhile, Claire traced the dummy transaction’s metadata.
At 3:42 AM, someone accessed the dummy account.
Someone using Jared’s old assistant’s credentials.
But the assistant had left the company three months ago.
“This confirms it,” Claire said. “Someone’s trying to get in.”
“And Ethan’s quiet,” Maya said. “Too quiet.”
—
The next twist came unexpectedly.
Maya was leaving the office late when she noticed someone standing by her car in the underground garage.
Ethan.
He looked different. Leaner. Paler. But the same smile.
“Hi, Maya.”
She didn’t answer. Just unlocked her door and tried to slide past him.
He stepped in front.
“Don’t you want to hear why I left?”
“No.”
“You looked for me,” he said. “You cried. You begged. You don’t get to pretend you didn’t.”
She stared at him. “You lied to me. Manipulated me. Disappeared. And now you’re stalking me?”
“I wanted to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From Valerio,” he said, voice low. “Dante’s not who you think he is.”
She almost laughed. “You’re really going to play the victim?”
“I’m trying to help you.”
“No,” she said. “You’re trying to pull me back.”
He leaned closer. “You’re in danger. That file you found? You have no idea who it really belongs to.”
“What are you talking about?”
But he was already walking away.
“Ask Dante about the Red Crest files,” he said. “Ask him what happened the night his father died.”
Then he disappeared into the dark.
—
Maya didn’t sleep that night.
The words echoed like sirens in her mind: The night his father died.
She didn’t even know Dante’s father was dead.
But now… it felt like the past was rising all around her—and the flames were getting closer.
- Writer
