Chapter 2 - The Receipts
Silas Rowan did not wait in the foyer.
He walked directly into my master bedroom, bringing the cold scent of rain and absolute destruction with him. He was a man who owned half the commercial real estate on the Eastern Seaboard, possessing the kind of terrifying, quiet authority that made boardrooms hold their breath.
He wore a flawlessly tailored charcoal overcoat. He did not look at the open suitcase. He did not look at Marcus, whose face had just drained of all blood, turning the color of wet ash.
Silas looked only at me.
"Mrs. Cross," Silas said, his voice a low, vibrating rumble of pure power. "I apologize for the intrusion. But I believe your husband forgot to pack his most important documents."
He reached inside his coat, withdrew a thick, black leather folder, and handed it to me.
I set my wine bottle down and opened it.
Inside were bank statements, wire transfers, and property deeds. Highlighted in perfectly straight, ruthless yellow lines were millions of dollars funneled from Cross Hospitality’s corporate accounts into offshore shell companies. The money had been used to buy a penthouse in Aspen, a yacht in Monaco, and the square emerald ring Marcus had told me was a "bonus" for a successful merger.
"Silas... Mr. Rowan, I can explain," Marcus stammered, physically backing up until his legs hit the bed. The polished, arrogant CEO was gone. He looked like a cornered rat. "Those are corporate assets. It's a strategic diversification strategy—Celeste and I were just—"
"Celeste," Silas interrupted, not raising his voice a single decibel, "is currently standing on the sidewalk outside our townhouse, locked out, with her credit cards frozen and a team of federal agents auditing her safe. My prenuptial agreement dictates that in the event of infidelity, she leaves the marriage with exactly what she brought into it. Which is nothing."
Marcus swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. "But... the money I transferred... the Aspen property..."
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"Was purchased using embezzled funds from a publicly traded company," Silas corrected lethally. "Which brings me to my next point, Mrs. Cross."
Silas turned his dark, predatory eyes back to me. "I purchased the entirety of Cross Hospitality's corporate debt yesterday morning. I own the loans keeping your husband's expansion afloat. And I am calling them in."
