Chapter 34 - The Impending Release
Peace is a fragile construct, requiring constant vigilance. As the five-year mark of my corporate reign approached, so did the expiration date of Grant’s federal prison sentence.
I had known this day was coming, and I had spent half a decade preparing for it. I was sitting in the secure war room of Vale Medical, flanked by Jonathan and Marcus Hayes, my newly retained head of private security. Marcus was a former federal agent, sharp, ruthless, and entirely dedicated to my family's safety.
"Grant Vale is scheduled for conditional release this Friday at 6:00 AM," Jonathan stated, looking at the federal dossier projected on the screen. "He served his full five years. He is bankrupt, entirely disgraced, and permanently barred from holding any executive corporate position."
"What are the parameters of his parole?" I asked, my voice calm and analytical.
Marcus stepped forward. "He is required to remain within the state of Illinois, submit to random financial audits, and maintain employment. However, Eleanor, the most critical factor is the permanent restraining order we secured during the divorce and criminal proceedings."
Marcus pulled up a map of the city.
"Grant is legally prohibited from coming within one thousand feet of you, Lily, this corporate headquarters, or your private estate," Marcus explained, highlighting the massive red zones on the map. "If he breaches that perimeter for even one second, it is a direct violation of his parole, and he goes straight back to federal prison for another three years."
"Do we expect him to challenge it?" Jonathan asked.
"Narcissists like Grant struggle with the reality of their own irrelevance," I noted, tracing the edge of the conference table. "He has spent five years in a cell, obsessing over the fact that the company he considered his birthright is now exponentially more successful under my name. He will want to see me. He will want to see Lily to prove to himself that he still has some form of power."
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"Let him try," Marcus said, his eyes hardening with professional lethal intent. "My teams are stationed at every access point. If he breathes near your perimeter, we will drop him before he takes a second step."
"Ensure it," I commanded. "He is a ghost. Let's keep him entirely invisible."
