Chapter 9 - The Ledger of Greed
Ethan held the broken music box in his palm, his jaw clenching tight.
As he turned the wooden casing over, he noticed something unusual.
The force of Victoria snatching the toy had dislodged a false velvet lining at the bottom of the box—a compartment Clara had built years ago to hold small keepsakes.
Tucked inside the narrow slot was a small, high-capacity USB drive wrapped in a piece of paper.
Ethan pulled the drive free.
The paper was a handwritten note in his late wife's delicate handwriting, dated three weeks before her passing:
"Ethan, if you are reading this, it means I am no longer with you. Do not trust Victoria Montigue or her father's firm. The attached files contain proof that they have been systematically embezzling from Blackwood Enterprises through our offshore accounts."
Ethan’s breath hitched in his throat.
Clara had discovered the financial fraud years ago, but her sudden illness had prevented her from presenting the proof. She had hidden the drive inside Lily's music box, knowing it was the one item no one would ever suspect.
Victoria hadn't just hated Lily because she was Ethan's daughter.
Victoria had been searching the penthouse for months, trying to locate the evidence Clara had hidden before marrying Ethan and securing control of the firm.
Elena walked over, holding a ice pack to her bruised knee.
"Mr. Blackwood?" Elena asked quietly, seeing the pale look on his face. "Are you alright?"
May you like
Ethan looked up from the paper, his dark eyes filled with absolute, unyielding resolve.
"She didn't just try to hurt my daughter, Elena," Ethan revealed, holding up the USB drive. "She came into this house to destroy my late wife's legacy."
