Chapter 2 - The Diagnosis
Thaddeus stared at the manila envelope as if it were a bomb.
"Open it," I repeated. The surgical calm in my voice sent a visible chill across the table.
Thaddeus let out a nervous, performative chuckle, looking at his friends. "Eloise, babe, whatever this is, let's not do it here. You've had a long shift. You're emotional."
"I am perfectly stable, Thaddeus. Open the file, or I will."
He didn't move. So I reached across the black marble table, flipped the metal clasp, and slid the contents out for everyone to see.
The first document was a highlighted spreadsheet of his DraftKings account, showing $142,000 in losses over the last eighteen months. The second was a stack of Venmo receipts—thousands of dollars funneled from my checking account to a man named 'Tommy D' for what Thaddeus had labeled "golf trips." The third was a pawn ticket for the vintage Cartier watch his parents had given him for his thirtieth birthday.
Gideon leaned forward, his eyes scanning the numbers. The amusement instantly vanished from his face.
Callie’s glossy lips parted in shock. Silas physically leaned back in his chair, putting distance between himself and Thaddeus.
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"What is this?" Thaddeus choked out, all the color draining from his face. The effortless, charming husband was gone, replaced by a terrified, cornered addict. "You went through my things?"
"I conducted an audit," I corrected smoothly. "Because as a doctor, when I see a parasite draining the life out of a healthy host, it is my professional obligation to identify it before it becomes fatal."
