Chapter 8 - The Fatal Discovery
The mistake happened on the evening of July 4th. The sky outside was erupting with fireworks, masking the tension inside the house. I was in my home office, putting the final touches on the independent audit request that would officially trigger the board of directors to investigate the missing funds.
I stepped away to get a glass of water. It was a lapse in judgment that lasted only two minutes, but it was enough. When I returned, Ethan was standing over my laptop. He had bypassed the screensaver and was staring at the digital paper trail of his own destruction.
The color drained from his face, replaced by a deep, terrifying crimson. He didn't yell. The silence that fell over the room was heavier than any scream. He slowly turned his head to look at me, his eyes dead and unblinking.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice a low, dangerous rasp.
I didn't back down. I stood in the doorway, my heart hammering against my ribs, and looked him in the eye. "It’s over, Ethan. I know about the four point eight million. I know about Beatrice’s shell companies."
He closed the laptop with a sharp snap. "Give me the password to your server," he demanded, taking a slow step toward me. "Delete the audit."
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"No."
It was the first time in three years I had defied him to his face.
