Chapter 3 - The Ledger
The ledger was not a book.
It was a spreadsheet.
Forty-three payments over eighteen months.
Consulting fees.
Property reimbursements.
Legal retainers.
Each looked ordinary alone.
Together, they formed a pattern.
Money left Adrian’s company through vendors controlled by people who did almost no real work.
Then part of it reappeared in three private accounts.
One belonged to Claire.
One belonged to a company registered to Vivian.
The third belonged to no person I could initially identify.
That was the account tied to the life insurance premium.
I found it because Adrian was careless.
He used the same backup email for a brokerage login and a policy portal.
The night before my fall, I confronted him.
Not about the policy.
About the money.
We were on the terrace because he did not want staff to hear.
“You moved over eight hundred thousand dollars.”
He stared at me.
“You went through my accounts?”
“I reviewed company books.”
“My company.”
“Our marital assets are tied to it.”
His jaw tightened.
“Stay out of this.”
“Then explain Claire.”
He stepped closer.
“What about Claire?”
“Three payments.”
“Bonuses.”
“Bonuses routed through a shell company?”
He looked away.
That was the first answer.
Then Vivian appeared behind me.
“You never know when to stop.”
She stood in the doorway.
The terrace railing gave way seconds later.
I did not remember the impact.
I remembered Adrian’s face.
In the hospital, the investigators had already photographed the failed terrace section.
An engineer found evidence the anchors had been deliberately weakened before the fall.
Not enough to explain how.
Enough to prove someone had altered them.
Marcus had the report.
He also had my ledger copy.
And now Adrian and Vivian had just confirmed they knew it existed.
My transmitter remained under my palm.
Vivian said:
“If Hannah sent the ledger, we need to know who else has it.”
Adrian looked at me.
“She’ll tell me.”
Vivian frowned.
“How?”
“She always does when she thinks she’s smarter.”
He leaned close.
“Hannah.”
He whispered my name.
My eyelids stayed still.
“I know you’re in there.”
My pulse jumped.
He waited.
Then smiled wider.
May you like
“I also know where Marcus lives.”
That was the first threat I had not expected.
