Chapter 17 - The Trap in the Greenhouse
The glass panels of the Victorian greenhouse reflected the pale moonlight as Clara approached with cautious, measured steps. The heavy wooden door stood slightly ajar, letting out a faint rustling sound from within.
Clara pushed the door open, her hand gripped firmly around the device in her pocket. "I know someone is in here. Show yourself before I call the guards," she called out, her voice cutting sharply through the humid air of the greenhouse.
A low, raspy laugh echoed from behind a dense thicket of overgrown ferns. A tall man stepped out into the moonlight—Victor Thorne, Eleanor’s former chief legal advisor and the mastermind behind several hidden offshore shell companies who had managed to evade the initial federal sweep.
"Well, well. If it isn't the brilliant little analyst who thought she won," Victor sneered, stepping closer, holding a heavy silver wrench in his hand. "Eleanor may be behind bars, but she left me with very specific instructions on how to handle loose ends."
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Clara didn't flinch. Her eyes narrowed as she calculated her distance. "You really think Eleanor’s money is worth spending the rest of your life in a supermax prison, Victor?"
Victor smiled maliciously, raising the wrench. "It's not about the money anymore, Mrs. Vance. It's about sending a message."
