Chapter Seven: The First Move
349 Words
Ethan didn’t strike quickly.
He waited.
For days, he stayed quiet, watching from the shadows. Every morning, his security team sent him updates — photos of Maya leaving her apartment, reports on her meetings, details of Liam’s work schedule.
Patience was key.
Breaking someone’s life took precision.
⸻
Liam was on his lunch break when it happened.
His phone buzzed.
An email from an anonymous address appeared in his inbox. The subject line made his stomach drop:
CONFIDENTIAL: ETHICS VIOLATION REPORT
Heart pounding, Liam opened it. Inside were screenshots carefully compiled documents that appeared to show discrepancies in a recent case he had handled at the firm.
Documents that suggested he had mishandled client funds.
“This isn’t real,” Liam muttered, scrolling furiously. “This isn’t—”
His phone rang. It was his boss.
“Liam, we need to talk. Now.”
⸻
Across the city, Ethan leaned back in his chair, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips as he watched the scene unfold through a live feed his team had sent.
“It’s done,” his security chief confirmed. “The evidence we planted is just enough to trigger an internal investigation. They won’t fire him yet, but it’ll keep him distracted.”
“Good,” Ethan said quietly.
⸻
That evening, Maya noticed something was wrong the moment Liam walked into her apartment.
“You look… stressed,” she said softly, setting aside the reports she was reading.
Liam dropped onto the couch and rubbed his face. “Work drama. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay.”
But she could tell it wasn’t just “work drama.” Liam was distant, distracted, barely listening when she tried to tell him about a new project at the foundation.
When he left later that night, Maya stood by the window, hugging herself.
Something felt… off.
⸻
Ethan watched from his penthouse, a single light illuminating the sharp lines of his face.
One seed had been planted.
It was only a matter of time before the cracks began to show.
- Writer
