Chapter 3 - The Hidden Asset
Ethan didn't confront Vanessa immediately. Instead, he went to his office at Northstar Systems. He activated the secure server, the one that kept records of all his private accounts and the prenuptial agreement.
He found the file. It had been accessed eleven days ago—the day of the board meeting.
The access logs showed the signature of his own private terminal, but the IP address was routed through a proxy in Connecticut—Vanessa’s hometown.
He began to track the money. Vanessa wasn’t just looking at the assets; she had been systematically siphoning funds into an offshore account registered to a shell corporation in the Caribbean. The amounts were small—pennies on the dollar—but the cumulative effect over the last six months was in the millions.
He saw the name "Christian" again. Christian Vance. A minor investment banker, a man who had been a college acquaintance of Vanessa’s.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, the glow of the monitors casting long shadows on his face. He felt a cold, analytical anger rising in him. It wasn't the heartbreak he expected. It was the thrill of the hunt. He had been played, and that was the one thing Ethan Cole never forgave.
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He realized then that the housekeeper had known all along. Maria had been the silent witness, the woman who polished the surfaces while Vanessa carved out the foundation beneath.
He stood up, grabbing his coat. “It’s time to finish this,” he whispered to the empty room.
