Chapter 6 - The Counter-StrikeWhen Ethan heard about the incident at the bistro, he didn't just get angry—he went into absolute tactical war mode.
Within two hours, Ethan was back at the penthouse, pacing the length of our spacious living room like a caged tiger, his tie ripped off and his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows.
“Vance is desperate,” Ethan growled, slamming his fist onto the mahogany coffee table. “He’s acting on a Hail Mary pass from Victoria before federal marshals catch up to her in Zurich. If we play this defensively, they’ll drag us through the mud for months in the tabloids.”
“So what do we do?” I asked, sitting on the sofa with Noah asleep upstairs in his bedroom.
Ethan stopped pacing and looked at me, a fierce, protective light burning in his dark eyes. “We don't play defense. We decapitate their legal strategy before the ink on their civil suit even dries. Dad already put our corporate forensic accountants on their tail. They found out Vance has been skimming millions from the Hale family trust to fund his own offshore accounts.”
“Can we use that?” I asked, leaning forward.
“We aren't just going to use it,” Ethan smiled grimly. “We’re going to hand it directly to the U.S. Attorney’s office tonight. Vance will be sitting in a federal holding cell by sunrise.”
He walked over, kneeling down in front of me and taking my hands in his warm palms.
“Clara, I am so sorry you’re being dragged through this storm again. Every time you try to build a peaceful life, my world seems to drag you back into the fire.”
I reached out, my fingers gently tracing the hard line of his jaw, feeling the stubble there. “You aren't dragging me into the fire, Ethan. We’re standing in it together. That makes all the difference.”
Ethan let out a breath of pure relief, leaning his forehead against mine. “I love you, Clara. I never stopped loving you for a single second of those seven years. And I swear to you, by tomorrow morning, this nightmare will be completely over.”
True to his word, Ethan and Richard executed a masterclass in corporate and legal annihilation.
By 7:00 AM the next morning, news anchors across every major Chicago news network were reporting the sudden, dramatic arrest of prominent attorney Arthur Vance on federal fraud and embezzlement charges, directly linked to funds stolen from the fleeing Hale family.
As we watched the breaking news report on our living room television while eating breakfast, Noah pointed at the screen.
“Is the bad man gone now, Daddy?” Noah asked around a mouthful of blueberry pancakes.
May you like
Ethan smiled, reaching across the table to ruffle Noah’s hair. “Yes, buddy. The bad man is gone for good. No one is ever going to bother us again.”
For the first time in seven years, the air in the room felt light, clean, and entirely unburdened.
Related Stories
