Chapter 3 - The Ghost of Pendleton
The private dining room on the fiftieth floor of Moretti Tower was opulent, draped in dark velvet and illuminated by candlelight. Julian Vance, a silver-haired attorney with an immaculate tailored suit and an expensive watch, looked up as Gabriel and Khloe entered.
Julian’s eyes flicked to Khloe with immediate, thinly veiled disdain. "Gabriel. I didn't realize we were conducting business with human resources tonight. Or did you finally decide to expand your collection of stray pets?"
Khloe felt a flash of anger, but before she could speak, Gabriel pulled out a chair for her, motioning for her to sit. He took the seat directly across from Julian, resting his hands flat on the white tablecloth.
"Julian," Gabriel said smoothly, his voice dropping an octave into a tone of lethal calm. "Chloe has been looking at the Vanguard Logistics files. She noticed some interesting discrepancies regarding the transfer right before Arthur Pendleton went missing."
Julian didn't flinch. He took a slow sip of his Cabernet, his expression entirely unruffled. "Ah, the Pendleton mess. A tragedy. The federal government spent months trying to pin that on us, Gabriel. Surely you aren't entertaining the mathematical musings of a junior accountant from a strip-mall firm?"
"She found the routing numbers, Julian," Gabriel said softly. "The ones that went to the Sterling & Vance trust."
For a split second, Julian's gaze flicked toward Khloe—not with fear, but with a sudden, chilling assessment. The polite, deferential lawyer mask slipped, revealing a calculating predator beneath.
"Impressive," Julian said, setting his wine glass down with a precise click. "Truly impressive. But you're missing the broader picture, Gabriel. Pendleton wasn't robbed. He was a liability. He was skimming from the shipping ports to fund a separate federal indictment against us. I simply ensured the money was recovered before the feds could freeze it."
"You embezzled forty million dollars and framed me for his disappearance," Gabriel stated, his voice devoid of emotion, though his knuckles were white where he gripped the table.
"I protected the family," Julian corrected sharply, leaning forward. "Which is more than I can say for a boss who gets distracted by a random plus-size woman kissing him in a nightclub on a stupid dare." Julian sneer deepened as he looked directly at Khloe. "You're slipping, Gabriel. You're letting sentimentality cloud your judgment. And in our business, sentimentality is a death sentence."
Khloe’s breath hitched. She expected Gabriel to fly into a rage, to draw a weapon, to prove every violent stereotype the media had ever printed about him.
Instead, Gabriel began to laugh. It was a cold, low sound that made the hairs on the back of Khloe's neck stand up.
"Julian," Gabriel whispered, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "You always were ambitious. You assumed because I kept you close, I didn't know you were the leak."
Julian’s polite facade finally cracked. "What?"
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Gabriel raised his glass. "The files Chloe looked at today? They weren't my active accounts. They were a decoy database I created six months ago, specifically designed to see who would try to access the Sterling & Vance trust." Gabriel's eyes locked onto the lawyer's sudden pale face. "You just confessed to embezzling forty million dollars to an auditor who is recording every word."
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