Chapter 20 - The Unopened Envelope
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On a quiet Thursday evening, fourteen months after Lily was born, the sun set over the garden, painting the sky in deep shades of crimson and violet.
Lily was fast asleep in her crib upstairs, her soft breathing coming through the baby monitor resting on my kitchen island. I poured myself a glass of cold white wine, sitting down at the dining table to review the quarterly development reports.
A soft knock sounded at the front entrance.
My head head-of-security, a retired federal officer named Marcus, stepped into the hallway holding a small, thick yellow courier envelope.
"Ms. Whitmore," Marcus said, his tone unusually serious. "This just arrived via private courier service. It was hand-delivered from a law firm in Zurich."
I set my wine glass down, my brow furrowing. "Zurich? We don't have any holdings in Switzerland."
"The courier insisted it be handed directly to you," Marcus said, placing the envelope on the wooden table before stepping back to maintain his post.
I picked up the silver letter opener and sliced through the thick paper seal.
Inside was a single folded sheet of heavy parchment paper and a small, metallic silver flash drive.
I unfolded the parchment. Written in dark, elegant calligraphy was a brief message:
Claire,
Mark Mercer was a pathetic amateur who lacked the intelligence to execute a forty-million-dollar corporate takeover on his own. He was merely our pawn, designed to test your resilience.
The six hundred and forty thousand dollars he embezzled through VSR Consulting was not spent on luxury goods. It was a down payment to us for the quiet liquidation of Whitmore Development's original land titles.
You won the battle against your husband, Claire. But the real owners of your father's company have finally arrived to collect their debt.
Plug in the drive.
I stared down at the silver flash drive resting on the polished wood table, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
May you like
Outside, a sudden cold gust of wind rustled through the garden trees, casting long, twisting shadows across the living room wall.
I picked up the flash drive, my fingers completely steady, and brought it toward my laptop screen.
