Chapter 12 - Shadows at the Edge
While the ballroom celebrated Julian’s triumphant return, far away from the sparkling lights of the yacht club, a solitary figure sat in the dim interior of a parked black sedan across the street.
Jonathan Cross—a disgraced former venture capitalist and a secret silent partner in Marcus Sterling’s illegal offshore accounts—watched the glowing entrance of the venue through binoculars. His face was twisted in a bitter scowl.
Marcus might have been locked in a federal holding facility, but Jonathan had inherited the remaining hidden digital wallets containing the remnants of the embezzled millions. He had planned to use the capital to quietly absorb Mercer Capital while Julian was distracted by public sympathy.
Instead, Julian had used the gala to cement his absolute dominance over the Greenwich business community.
Jonathan’s phone buzzed on the dashboard. A encrypted message flashed across the screen from an anonymous Swiss proxy: “The board has officially ratified Julian Mercer as lifetime chairman. All proxy votes against him have failed.”
Jonathan slammed his fist against the steering wheel. He couldn't let Julian win. If Julian audited the remaining offshore holdings, Jonathan would trace Marcus’s path straight to a federal prison cell as well.
May you like
He pulled a burner phone from his coat pocket and dialed a dark, desperate number.
"It's me," Jonathan hissed into the receiver. "The gala ends in an hour. Execute phase two. Make sure the estate is empty—and find the physical ledger in his private study before he returns."
