Chapter 4 - The Ledger's Secret
Elara hesitated, staring at the crystal glass. "Is it poisoned?"
A dark, humorless chuckle escaped Cassian’s chest. "If I wanted you dead, bartender, you wouldn't be standing on my Persian rugs. Drink."
She took the glass and downed it. The alcohol burned its way down her throat, settling the violent shivers in her core. She looked at Cassian, realizing this was her only play. She had to make herself invaluable.
"I didn't just see Silas shoot that man," Elara said, her voice steadying. "I heard what the man was begging about. The offshore ledgers."
Cassian’s eyes narrowed. "Continue."
"I have a photographic memory for numbers. I balance the tills downstairs. The dead man said Silas was framing him. That Silas was the one skimming the accounts." Elara took a breath. "Two weeks ago, Silas ordered me to shred a box of financial printouts from the VIP room. I saw the routing numbers. They didn't go to your Cayman accounts. They went to a shell corporation in Panama."
Cassian stepped closer, his imposing height casting a shadow over her. "Are you lying to save your own life?"
"Look at me," Elara demanded, pointing to her bloodied face. "Do I look like I have the luxury of lying? Silas is robbing you blind, and he tried to kill me because he knew I saw those papers."
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Cassian stared at her, assessing the cold, hard truth in her eyes. "If you are right, Silas has compromised my entire syndicate."
"I can prove it," Elara said. "But you have to give me something in return."
