Chapter 9 - The Ghost in the System
Clara picked up the buzzing phone, sliding her thumb across the screen to accept the call. She placed the speaker to her ear, keeping her composure tight.
“Hello?” Clara said calmly.
A deep, unfamiliar male voice answered from the other end of the line, heavy with a thick European accent. “Daniel Vance. The offshore transfer of two million dollars to our Zurich account failed this morning. Why was the routing code blocked?”
Clara took a slow, deep breath, realizing instantly who was on the phone. Daniel hadn't just been stealing her money for himself—he was working with an international money-laundering syndicate.
“Daniel isn't available to take your call,” Clara replied, her tone perfectly flat and devoid of fear.
There was a long, sharp pause on the line. “Who is this?”
“This is Clara Montgomery,” she said clearly. “The sole legal owner of Montgomery Holdings. And if you attempt to access those funds again, the State Attorney General and the FBI Financial Crimes Division will trace this line directly to your server in Zurich.”
The man on the other end let out a low, sinister chuckle. “You think you’re smart, little girl? You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Daniel owed us money. If he can't pay, his debts fall on his family. And that includes you.”
Clara didn't flinch. She leaned against the mahogany desk, her eyes fixed on the open safe.
“I am no longer his family,” Clara said coldly. “And as of twenty minutes ago, the FBI seized every single dollar in those offshore accounts. If you want your money, I suggest you send your lawyers to the federal penitentiary.”
May you like
She hung up the phone before the man could respond, instantly tapping the screen to upload the recorded call directly to Agent Hayes’ secure cloud server.
👉 Two hours later, a sleek black SUV pulled into the driveway, and a man in a navy suit stepped out.
