Chapter 16 - The Offensive
I turned our living room into a war room.
With Emily’s help, we scoured public records, business filings, and social media.
We were looking for a pattern, a history of violence or intimidation that Michael had managed to keep hidden.
It was tedious, exhausting work, fueled by coffee and desperation.
We hit dead end after dead end.
Michael was careful.
He insulated himself with NDAs and settlements.
But Emily was persistent.
She managed to track down an old assistant of Michael’s, a woman named Claire who had left the company abruptly five years ago.
Claire was terrified when I contacted her, but she eventually agreed to meet in a busy coffee shop.
She confirmed my worst fears.
"He didn’t hit me," she whispered, looking around nervously.
"But he terrorized me.
He threw things.
He threatened to ruin my career if I didn’t sleep with him.
When I refused, he made my life a living hell until I quit.
He forced me to sign a non-disclosure agreement." My heart pounded.
"Would you testify?" I asked.
She shook her head vigorously.
"No.
I can’t.
He’ll destroy me.
I have a family now." I pleaded with her, but she refused.
However, before she left, she slipped me a flash drive.
"There are emails," she said.
"Financial records.
He was hiding money.
Shell companies, offshore accounts.
It’s a mess.
Maybe it can help you." I took the drive to Lena.
She brought in a forensic accountant.
What they found was staggering.
Michael had been embezzling from his own company for years, funneling millions to untraceable accounts in the Caymans.
It was massive fraud.
"This changes everything," Lena said, her eyes gleaming.
"If we hand this over to the feds, he won't just be facing domestic violence charges.
He’ll be facing federal prison time for wire fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering.
And his parents might be implicated too." We had our leverage.
May you like
We had the weapon we needed to destroy him.
But before we could pull the trigger, Cole Rivers made his move.
