Chapter 17 - The Shadow of the Past
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Six months later, on a crisp spring afternoon, Ethan was driving through downtown Chicago after a rare board meeting at Caldwell Horizon.
He pulled up to a red light near the Cook County Courthouse complex.
On the sidewalk, a group of reporters and news camera crews were gathered around a sleek black town car.
A sharp-looking man in a expensive charcoal suit stepped out of the courthouse, flanked by three defense attorneys.
Ethan recognized the man instantly.
It was Victor Dalton—Claire’s estranged older brother, a notorious venture capitalist from New York who had cut off contact with Claire years ago following a corporate dispute.
Ethan rolled down his window slightly, listening to the reporters shouting questions.
"Mr. Dalton!" a female reporter yelled, holding a microphone forward. "Is it true that you are filing a civil suit against Caldwell Horizon regarding your sister's seized trust funds?!"
Victor Dalton paused at the door of his town car. He pulled off his dark sunglasses, revealing cold, piercing gray eyes that looked uncannily like Claire's.
"My sister was a foolish woman who got caught making sloppy mistakes," Victor said into the microphones, his voice dry and devoid of emotion. "But the Dalton family assets tied up in Ethan Caldwell's corporate holdings do not belong to him. I will reclaim every single dollar he took."
Victor turned his head, his cold gaze sweeping across the stopped traffic—until his eyes met Ethan's through the open car window.
For three long seconds, the two men stared at each other across the crowded Chicago street.
Victor’s mouth curved into a thin, dangerous smile. He raised two fingers to his temple in a mocking salute, then stepped inside his black town car and sped away.
The red light turned green.
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Ethan drove forward, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as a fresh chill settled over his neck.
Claire was in prison. But the ruthless, greedy family that had created her was still very much alive—and they were looking for revenge.
