Chapter 5 - The AllianceThat evening, I was sitting at a dimly lit corner booth in a quiet bourbon bar across town.
The bell above the door chimed, and Mark walked in. He looked worse than Julian had. The bags under his eyes were dark purple, and his hands looked worn and exhausted. He spotted me and slid into the booth across from me.
"You wanted to meet," Mark said, his voice a low, gravelly rasp.
"I did." I slid a glass of amber bourbon across the table toward him. He took it without hesitation and downed half of it in one swallow.
"I want to destroy them," Mark said quietly, staring at the empty space on the table. "Chloe completely cleaned out our joint checking account this morning. She rented a luxury apartment downtown. She says she's taking the dog and filing for half my pension."
"Julian is arrogant," I said, swirling my drink. "And Chloe is greedy. That makes them sloppy. If we fight them individually, they'll drag this out in mediation for years. But if we share notes, we can bury them."
Mark looked up at me. "What do you need?"
"I need to know exactly when this started. I need Chloe's phone records, her credit card statements, everything."
Mark reached into his canvas jacket and pulled out a thick, rumpled envelope. "I already went through her home office. I found something you're going to want to see."
I opened the envelope. Inside was a commercial lease agreement for a boutique storefront in the wealthy arts district. It was signed by Chloe, but the financial guarantor at the bottom of the page made my blood run entirely cold.
Julian Vance.
"He didn't just sleep with her, Elena," Mark said softly. "He bought her a business. With your money."
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The betrayal mutated. It was no longer just a physical affair. It was financial treason. Julian had been planning to bankroll a new life with Chloe while smiling at me across the dinner table.
"Alright," I said, a dark, venomous smile spreading across my lips. "Let's go hunting."
