I found my daughter crying in the kitchen, eating scraps from dirty plates while her husband smiled and said, “She deserves it.” I didn’t scream or argue. I took her by the hand, walked out with her, and called a lawyer. Hours later, we discovered a contract, eight months of unpaid work, and evidence that could completely destroy him.

Chloe gasped, looking over Robert’s shoulder at the monitor.

“That’s Sarah,” Chloe whispered. “She’s the head waitress at The Hearth. She’s the only one who ever tried to sneak me food when Damian locked me in the kitchen.”

Robert hesitated, but finally buzzed her up. When Sarah walked into the apartment, she looked terrified, glancing over her shoulder as if she expected a bullet in her back.

“Chloe, I saw Damian’s live video,” Sarah breathed out, handing the manila envelope to Robert. “I know it’s a lie. We all knew what he was doing to you, but we were too scared of his 'investors' to speak up.”

“What is this, Sarah?” Robert asked, opening the envelope.

“I was closing the bar last night when Damian had a meeting with Elias Thorne,” Sarah explained rapidly. “They left a USB drive on the bar counter. I copied the files onto my own drive before Damian came back looking for it.”

Robert plugged the USB into his laptop. A series of audio files popped up.

He clicked the first one. It was a high-quality recording of a phone call.

“The wife is starting to ask questions about the consulting payments,” Damian’s voice echoed through the speakers.

“Then get rid of her,” a chilling, gravelly voice replied—Elias Thorne. “Frame her for the missing cash, forge the IP documents to steal her studio brand, and dump her. If she makes noise, I’ll handle the mother.”

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. They had planned my murder like a casual business transaction.

“Sarah,” Robert said, looking at the waitress with profound respect. “You just gave us the silver bullet. This ties Elias directly to the fraud and the threats.”