Chapter 9
The revelation hung in the humid air of the rehabilitation room like a heavy, toxic mist.
"Cassandra's brother," I repeated, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper as the pieces of the puzzle began to click into place.
"He operates a private security firm that specializes in electronic surveillance and digital logistics," Marcus explained, showing me the corporate registration documents on the laptop.
"He was contracted by Vale International last month for 'facility security upgrades', which gave him access to various local network protocols."
"The black SUV that hit your car was reported stolen three days before the accident from a salvage yard on the edge of the city."
"It was found burned out in an abandoned warehouse two hours after you were brought to the emergency room."
I leaned back in my wheelchair, my hands gripping the armrests so tightly that the leather groaned under the pressure.
"Adrian didn't just want a divorce," I muttered, the cold reality settling deep into my bones. "He wanted a clean break without a financial settlement."
"If I died in that intersection, the entire estate, the trust funds, the company shares, everything would have legally passed to him as my surviving spouse."
"He didn't smirk at me in that hospital room because he was cruel, he smirked because he was disappointed that I survived the impact."
"The divorce papers were his backup plan when he realized the crash hadn't finished the job."
"Do we have enough to take this to the district attorney?" I asked, looking up at Marcus with eyes that felt like burning coals.
"Not quite enough to link Adrian directly to the attempted murder yet," Marcus admitted reluctantly, shaking his head.
"We can prove Cassandra's brother deleted the footage, which makes him an accessory after the fact, and we can arrest him for the digital breach."
"But he'll likely take the fall for his sister or demand a massive legal defense funded by Adrian's remaining hidden assets."
"We need the link, Marcus," I said, my voice hardening into an absolute command. "I want the direct financial connection between Adrian and the hitman."
"He wouldn't have used his corporate account for something like this, he would have used cash or cryptocurrency."
"Check his private safe in our country estate, the one he thinks I never knew the combination to."
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"He keeps a ledger of his off-the-books transactions there, an old habit from his early days when he used to bribe local union leaders."
"Go tonight, Marcus, take Arthur with you and a private security team, get that ledger before he realizes the walls are closing in."
