Chapter 4 - THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE
I didn't stay home.
I couldn't just sit and wait while my life was being debated in a glass office downtown.
I drove to a small cafe across from his office building.
I sat by the window,
wearing dark sunglasses and a scarf,
feeling like a character in a spy novel I never wanted to write.
I saw his car enter the parking garage.
A few minutes later,
I saw Vanessa.
She was wearing the same cream coat,
looking like a woman who already owned the world.
She walked into the building with a bounce in her step.
They were meeting in his office to finalize the digital transfer.
They wanted to be together when the numbers moved from my column to theirs.
I opened my laptop and logged into the mirror account Leo had set up.
I could see Julian's login.
He was accessing the main business account.
I could almost feel his excitement through the screen.
On my phone,
I had a live feed of the bank's transaction log.
9:00 AM.
The first transfer was initiated.
Two hundred thousand dollars,
my entire savings account,
began its journey.
On Julian's screen,
the progress bar would be filling up.
"Come on,"
I whispered to the empty cafe.
"Do it."
The bar reached 100%.
"Transfer Complete,"
it would say in bold,
green letters.
I saw the money hit the escrow account Leo and I had prepared.
Julian didn't have it.
I did.
But he didn't know that yet.
Next came the house title.
I saw the digital filing for the deed transfer.
He was using the forged power of attorney to "sell" the house to his shell company for one dollar.
The notification popped up on my screen.
"Action Required."
This was the moment.
I hit the "Report Fraud" button I had been hovering over.
An automatic stay was placed on the property.
A notification was sent to the county clerk,
and a copy of the forgery evidence was dispatched to the district attorney's office.
Julian would see a "Processing" message,
nothing more.
He would think it was just a slow server.
I saw him try to refresh the page.
Once,
twice,
three times.
I could imagine the frustration building in that office.
Vanessa would be leaning over his shoulder,
frowning at the screen.
I felt a cold sense of satisfaction.
Then,
I sent the text.
I had waited years to feel this kind of power,
though I hated that I had to.
I sent a single image to Julian's private cell phone.
It was a screenshot of the recording I made at the airport.
The thumbnail clearly showed him kissing Vanessa.
Underneath,
I wrote:
"I hope the transfer was worth it."
I watched the building across the street.
I didn't have to wait long.
I saw a figure appear at the window of the fourth floor.
Even from here,
I could recognize the silhouette of his panic.
He was pacing,
the phone pressed to his ear.
He was probably calling the bank,
only to find out his access had been revoked.
He was probably calling his lawyer,
only to find out that a "Leo Thorne" had already filed a preemptive suit.
May you like
The hunter had become the prey,
and the forest was closing in.
