Chapter 7 - The Final Trap
The next morning, the city woke up to a financial earthquake.
Julian had released the kraken. His legal team had filed massive public lawsuits against Victoria Sterling for fraud, extortion, and attempted kidnapping, backed by the cell phone records and testimonies of the surviving gunmen from the garage.
Simultaneously, an anonymous leak (orchestrated by Julian’s hackers) flooded the internet with Arthur Vance’s private emails, exposing a decades-long ring of blackmail and coercion involving young women.
But Clara wasn't satisfied with just destroying them on paper. She wanted them to know she was the one holding the match.
She borrowed Julian's phone and called Victoria.
"Hello, Stepmother."
"Clara," Victoria hissed, her voice trembling with panic and rage. "You little witch. You think you’ve won? I will drag you down with me!"
"Meet me at the old cliffside estate," Clara said coldly. "In one hour. Just you and me. Or I tell Julian to release the offshore accounts you're trying to hide from the feds."
"Clara, what are you doing?" Julian asked from the doorway as she hung up.
May you like
"Closing the loop," she replied, picking up her coat. "She needs to see that I’m not afraid of her anymore."
Julian didn't stop her. He just loaded a fresh magazine into his weapon. "I’m driving."
