Chapter 5 - Unraveling the Web
While Dominic stood vigil outside the ICU, staring through the reinforced glass window at the pale, still form of his wife, Marcus sat at a vacant nurses' desk down the hall, tearing through the digital forensic logs of the household server.
The screen glowed in the dim light, displaying a complex web of administrative overrides, redirected emails, and intercepted postal logs.
Marcus tapped his earpiece, connecting directly to his elite tech team back at the penthouse. "Talk to me. What else did Bianca touch?"
“We’re pulling the financial ledgers from the last eighteen months, Marcus,” a voice crackled through the secure channel. “It wasn't just the messages. Bianca systematically blocked Lauren's personal accounts from accessing the shared family trust. Every time Lauren tried to withdraw funds for medical checkups, Bianca flagged them as fraudulent activity and routed them to a dummy account under her own control.”
Marcus’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. "She starved her out."
“Literally. Lauren was living on whatever she could make from freelance transcription work while carrying twins. The medical bills from the early clinics she visited were paid out of her own pocket until she ran completely dry.”
Marcus slammed his fist silently against the desk. "Find every cent Bianca diverted. I want every asset she owns frozen before sunrise. If she tries to leave the state, I want her intercepted before she reaches the tollway."
“Already on it, Chief. Asset freeze initiated across all domestic and offshore accounts.”
Marcus cut the feed and walked down the corridor toward the ICU observation window.
Dominic was still standing there, his palm pressed flat against the cold glass, mirroring the position of the unconscious woman on the other side. The harsh institutional lights caught the silver threads starting to show at the temples of his dark hair. For a man who ruled the Chicago underworld with an iron fist, he had never looked more utterly defeated.
"Boss," Marcus said, stopping a respectful distance away.
Dominic didn't look back. "Speak."
"Bianca didn't just intercept the messages," Marcus said steadily. "She locked down Lauren's financial access. She deliberately forced her into destitution while she was pregnant with your children."
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush bone.
Dominic slowly lowered his hand from the glass. He turned around, and the expression on his face made Marcus—a hardened veteran of urban warfare—step back instinctively. There was no anger left in his eyes. Only a cold, dead void that promised absolute annihilation.
"Is her passport flagged?" Dominic asked softly.
"Yes. She won't leave Illinois."
"Good," Dominic said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "When Lauren wakes up, I want Bianca brought to the estate. Not the penthouse. The basement holding room. I want her to watch every single luxury she ever stole from my wife get stripped away piece by piece."
"Understood."
"And Marcus?"
May you like
"Boss?"
"Take a detail down to the NICU. I want my son and daughter moved to the private executive suite on this floor. Bring the best pediatricians in the country. If anyone so much as looks at them the wrong way, I want their medical license revoked before they hit the ground."
