Chapter 43
[Chapter 43: The Shadow Broker]
Ethan refused to let the system dictate Noah’s fate. If the legal world was rigged by his family’s corrupt legacy, he would find another way.
He drove to the secure medical facility where Melissa was being treated for the trauma she suffered in Zurich. She was sitting by the window, her face pale, staring at the courtyard.
“Melissa,” Ethan said, sitting in the chair beside her.
She turned, her eyes hollow. “Is it true? About Lauren and Dad?”
“Yes,” Ethan said quietly. “They’re dead. And Noah... Noah is Dad’s son.”
Melissa let out a sharp, bitter laugh, a single tear cutting through her pale cheek. “Of course he is. Dad always took whatever he wanted, and Mom always found a way to weaponize it. We never had a chance, did we, Ethan? We were just props in their war.”
“I need your help, Melissa,” Ethan said, leaning in. “Patricia is trying to get bail. She’s using an account we missed. A domestic account that’s funding her defense. Where did she get the money if Dad broke her?”
Melissa looked down at her hands, her fingers twitching. “She didn't just have Marcus Vance, Ethan. There was someone else. A silent partner in the construction firm’s logistics department. A man named Edward Cross. He was Dad’s accountant for twenty years, but he was secretly feeding Mom information about Richard’s skimming. He’s the one who helped her set up the offshore routing. If Mom goes down, Edward goes down too. He’s funding her lawyers to keep his own name clean.”
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Ethan stood up, a cold focus settling over him. “Where do I find him?”
“He has an estate in Clear Lake,” Melissa whispered. “But be careful, Ethan. Edward isn't a thug like Marcus. He’s the guy who handles the money for the syndicates Dad owed. He doesn't leave loose ends.”
