Chapter 2: The Secret Inside the Pendant
Federal agents entered the mansion without raising their voices.
Everything happened quietly.
Professionally.
Relentlessly.
No shouting.
No dramatic arrests.
Only badges.
Warrants.
Evidence bags.
Nathan lunged toward Evelyn.
"You planned this!"
Before he reached her, two agents intercepted him.
His wrists disappeared into handcuffs.
"This is illegal!"
One investigator calmly replied,
"No, Mr. Ashford."
"What you've been doing is illegal."
While agents secured the study, another investigator carefully examined Evelyn's pendant.
"There are over eight hundred hours of recordings."
He looked genuinely impressed.
"You've been collecting evidence for years."
Evelyn nodded.
"I needed him to feel untouchable."
The investigator downloaded the files.
Then suddenly paused.
"Wait..."
He replayed one audio clip.
Nathan wasn't speaking.
Neither was Celeste.
Instead...
Another man's voice.
Deep.
Familiar.
"Transfer the payment before Nathan notices."
The room fell silent.
Evelyn frowned.
"Who is that?"
The investigator looked toward her father, William Harrington, who had just entered surrounded by attorneys.
William's expression changed instantly.
He recognized the voice.
"No..."
he whispered.
"It can't be."
The recording belonged to someone no one expected.
William's younger brother.
Charles Harrington.
The trusted family CFO.
The man who had managed the Harrington empire's finances for nearly twenty years.
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Nathan hadn't been working alone.
Someone inside Evelyn's own family had been helping him from the beginning.
