Chapter 4 - The House of Cards
Three weeks had passed since the raid at Sterling Ridge Estate, and the state attorney general’s office looked very different from the inside.
My temporary office on the fourth floor of the federal plaza wasn't grand—it had beige walls, a squeaky ergonomic chair, and a window that overlooked a concrete parking garage instead of manicured vineyards. But on the corner of my metal desk sat a crib, and inside it, sound asleep, was Leo Sterling—or rather, Leo Vance, since I had already filed the paperwork to legally drop the Sterling name from both of our birth certificates.
A soft knock rattled the open door, and Diana Cruz stepped inside holding two cardboard cups of terrible office coffee.
“Peace and quiet?” she asked, sliding one of the cups across the desk toward me before leaning against the filing cabinet.
“For the next twenty minutes, yes,” I smiled, taking a grateful sip of the bitter brew. “Leo finally figured out how to sleep through the morning briefing.”
Diana crossed her arms, looking down at the sleeping infant with an expression of quiet pride. “He has your stubbornness, Audrey. Good thing, too. The forensic audit on Sterling Holdings is officially complete, and the numbers are even worse than we initially thought.”
I set my coffee cup down, pulling a thick leather-bound ledger toward me—not an evidence file, but my personal working notes. “Let me guess. They weren't just skimming state housing grants. They were bleeding the municipal pension funds through the shell companies in Grand Cayman.”
“Bingo,” Diana nodded, pulling a stack of certified indictments from her folder and dropping them onto my desk. “Every single asset they own has been seized by the federal government under the RICO Act. Sterling Ridge Estate is being converted into a public women's shelter and a state forensic accounting training center. The judge signed off on the liquidation orders this morning.”
I let out a slow, steady breath, feeling a weight I didn't even realize I was carrying finally lift from my shoulders. For four years, I had believed that power, wealth, and social standing were impenetrable armor. I had believed that if you played by the rules of people like Eleanor and Julian, you would eventually be granted a seat at their table—even if you had to sit quietly in the corner.
Now, the table had been smashed to pieces, and the people who built it were facing twenty to life in a federal penitentiary.
“What about Julian?” I asked quietly, keeping my eyes on the sleeping baby. “Has he tried to reach out through his defense counsel?”
“His defense counsel dropped him yesterday because he couldn't liquidize enough hidden assets to pay the retainer,” Diana snorted, shaking her head. “Turns out, when you launder money through fake relatives, you can't trust your co-conspirators. His mother is refusing to speak to him in holding, blaming him for being sloppy with the digital signatures. They’re tearing each other apart.”
Good. Let them.
“You know, Audrey,” Diana said softly, stepping closer to the desk and resting a hand on my shoulder. “You could have walked away nine months ago. You had enough evidence to pass the file to another agent and transfer out of the unit. Why stay? Why risk your safety, and his?”
I looked down at Leo’s tiny, perfect hand, curled into a loose fist against his cheek.
“Because if I walked away, I would have taught him that survival means keeping your head down and accepting whatever crumbs people like the Sterlings decide to throw you,” I said, my voice steady and clear. “I wanted him to know that his mother didn't build an empire—she built a prison. And the people who hold the keys are the ones who refuse to stay quiet.”
Diana smiled, her eyes shining with genuine respect. “Well, Agent Sterling—or whatever badge number you want to request when you come back from maternity leave—the attorney general wants to promote you to director of the new financial crimes task force. Effective immediately.”
May you like
I blinked, surprised, before a slow, genuine smile spread across my face. “Director? That comes with a much better office, right?”
“It comes with a window that actually opens,” Diana laughed, turning toward the door. “Take your time, Audrey. The corrupt politicians aren't going anywhere—we’ll have plenty of work waiting for you when you're ready.”
