Chapter 2: The Ledger
Chapter 2: The Ledger
By midnight, the storm outside had intensified, rattling the reinforced glass of the master suite. The doctor had given Hannah a clean bill of health—the pain had been a stress-induced Braxton Hicks contraction, not early labor. The baby was safe.
Hannah lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The mansion was eerily quiet. She slipped out of bed, wrapping Daniel’s oversized jacket around herself. Her mind was racing. You were never just the housekeeper.
She crept out of the bedroom and down the hall toward Daniel’s private study. The door was slightly ajar. If she was ever going to find out what happened to Aaron and her brother Caleb, it was tonight.
Slipping inside, she moved toward the massive mahogany desk. It wasn't locked. Inside the bottom drawer, she found a thick leather-bound ledger. She opened it, her eyes scanning the columns. It wasn't a list of illegal docks or smuggled goods.
It was a meticulous record of Whitlock Shipping.
Account 4A - Whitlock: Laundering operation confirmed. Siphoning $4M monthly using Carver name.
Asset: Caleb Monroe (Extracted to safe house - Location Delta).
Casualty: Aaron.
Hannah’s breath hitched. Caleb was alive? Extracted?
"He's safe, Hannah."
She spun around. Daniel stood in the doorway, two glasses of water in his hands. He didn't look angry; he looked exhausted.
"You knew," Hannah choked out, clutching the ledger to her chest. "You knew who I was this whole time. You killed Aaron. You took Caleb!"
"I didn't kill Aaron," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. He walked over, setting the glasses on the desk. "And I didn't take your brother. I saved him."
Hannah backed away. "Liar. Caleb found out you were laundering money—"
"Caleb found out the Whitlocks were laundering money, using my family's name as a shield," Daniel corrected firmly. "When the Whitlocks realized Caleb was onto them, they put a hit out on him. I had my men intercept him first and stash him somewhere safe until I could dismantle their operation."
"And Aaron?" A sob tore from Hannah's throat. "Was Aaron just collateral damage?"
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Daniel closed his eyes. When he opened them, the cold, untouchable Mafia boss was gone. In his place was a man drowning in grief.
"Aaron wasn't collateral," Daniel said, his voice breaking. "Aaron was the target."
