Chapter 9 - The Debt
|
We retreated to my home office, locking the heavy mahogany doors behind us. Hector connected his secure laptop to the large monitor on my wall, projecting a series of highly classified financial documents and surveillance photos.
"Chloe Hastings is not the wealthy socialite she pretended to be when you met her at the charity gala last year," Hector began, bringing up a heavily redacted bank statement.
"Her family owns a real estate firm," I argued, confused. "They are prominent in the city."
"Her family's firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy three years ago, sir," Hector corrected me, zooming in on a court document. "They managed to keep it quiet by selling off private assets, but they have been entirely broke for years. Chloe, however, did not adjust her lifestyle."
Hector clicked to the next slide. It showed a series of wire transfers and alarming ledger entries.
"Chloe has a severe gambling addiction," Hector stated bluntly. "She frequents high-stakes underground poker games in the Hollywood Hills. Over the last eighteen months, she has racked up over four million dollars in debt."
My stomach plummeted. Four million dollars.
"Who does she owe?" I asked, dread pooling in my chest.
Hector brought up a surveillance photo of a harsh, scarred man smoking a cigar outside a nightclub. "His name is Victor Volkov. He is a prominent loan shark connected to the Eastern European syndicate operating out of Los Angeles. He is not a man who forgives debts."
The entire puzzle suddenly snapped into horrifying clarity.
"She didn't love me," I whispered, staring at the screen. "She targeted me. I was her bailout. She planned to marry me, gain access to my accounts, and pay off the mob before they broke her legs."
May you like
"Exactly," Hector agreed. "And Marisol was a problem. Marisol is observant. She is constantly around the house, watching the comings and goings. Chloe knew that if she started siphoning millions of dollars out of your home safes or bringing dangerous associates around, Marisol would notice and tell you. She needed the housekeeper gone to clear the board."
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling a long, shuddering breath. I hadn't just dodged a bad marriage. I had narrowly avoided dragging my daughters into a violent underworld nightmare.
