Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the Machine
Julian was a paranoid genius, and I had never loved him more for it than I did in that moment.
That night, Arthur and I went through Julian’s personal laptop. Julian had spent the last month of his life battling aggressive pancreatic cancer, but he hadn't spent that time resting. He had spent it setting traps.
“Julian suspected Marcus was embezzling,” Arthur explained, pulling up a hidden, encrypted server. “He just didn't have the definitive proof. But Julian coded a fail-safe into the company's financial software. If anyone tried to execute a hostile takeover or transfer shares without your biometric thumbprint, the system wouldn't just block it—it would initiate a massive audit, freezing every offshore account Marcus has.”
I stared at the screen. Julian had left me the digital equivalent of a nuclear button.
“Marcus thinks I’m a broken, grieving widow,” I said softly, tracing my finger over Julian’s name on the screen.
May you like
“Exactly,” Arthur smiled. “He expects you to cower in your house while he steals your children’s legacy. He has no idea you hold the keys to his entire existence.”
“Let’s get dressed, Arthur,” I said, feeling the first real spark of life since Julian’s heart stopped. “We have a board meeting to crash.”
