Chapter 4 - The Puppet Master's WeaknessGrant stared at me, his hands clenching into tight, trembling fists. For a second, I thought he was going to strike me right there in the hospital hallway. But he knew there were security cameras at every corner, and he was, above all, a coward who feared public exposure.
"You're bluffing," he sneered, though his voice lacked its usual booming authority. "The bank requires two signatures to freeze a commercial trust. My cousin is on the board of that bank, Claire. He’ll unfreeze the assets before the market opens."
"Your cousin was arrested for tax fraud three years ago, Grant," I said calmly. "And I didn't freeze the assets through the bank. I filed an emergency petition with the state Attorney General under the Whistleblower Protection Act. The freeze is a federal mandate, linked to a suspected money-laundering investigation. Your cousin can't touch it. No one can."
Grant took a step back, his breathing rapid and shallow. The realization that his financial fortress was crumbling was hitting him like a physical blow.
"Claire, please," he stammered, his tone suddenly shifting from aggressive to desperate, trying to use the manipulative charm he had used to control me for a decade. "We can work this out. I’ll go to counseling. I’ll leave Lily alone. Just... don't destroy the company. We built this together. Think of our future."
"You have no future with us, Grant," I said, turning my back on him. "Your only future is a six-by-eight-foot cell."
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I walked back into Lily’s room, locking the door behind me. Grant stood in the hallway, staring through the glass panel with a look of pure, unadulterated venom. He raised his hand, pointing a finger at me, before turning and walking away into the dark.
I sat back down beside my daughter, my heart beating with a steady, quiet strength. The first battle was won, but the war was far from over. Grant would try to use his legal team, his wealth, and his local influence to crush us. I needed to make sure he never got the chance.
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