Chapter 19 - The Fireproof Box|
I walked purposefully toward the built-in closet at the very end of the hallway and pulled open the heavy oak door. Ignoring the mundane household items, I knelt down, pulled back the edge of the floor rug, and lifted a small, heavy fireproof metal box that had been carefully hidden beneath the floorboards.
The exact moment I lifted that box and clutched it to my chest, the mocking smile on Ethan's face vanished entirely. He shot up from the sofa, his complexion instantly morphing from pale to a state of absolute, unadulterated panic. He lunged forward as if to intercept me, but the sheriff's deputy immediately threw an arm out to block him, his other hand dropping instinctively to the butt of his sidearm.
"Step back right now, Mr. Morgan," the deputy ordered sharply.
This fireproof box contained far more than just my mother’s vintage jewelry. It was the secure location where I kept the offline backup hard drives for Morgan Events Group. Those drives contained all the unedited, shady backdoor contracts Ethan had secretly signed with vendors introduced by Madison in order to pocket illegal kickbacks. He thought throwing away the physical key was enough to keep it safe, completely unaware that I had always memorized the digital override code.
"You can't take that!" Ethan screamed, the veins bulging visibly on his neck. "That is classified company property!"
"I own fifty-two percent of this company, Ethan," I said.
I turned to look directly into his terrified, trembling eyes.
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"I am the company. As for you, you're just a disgraced employee about to be indicted for grand embezzlement," I added.
I clutched the box tightly to my chest and turned my back on him, walking out the front door and leaving him screaming helplessly in the empty living room. The final, most devastating piece of evidence was now securely in my possession, sealing his fate forever.
