Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

Days were truly full of adventures and surprises after the meetings. They all worked non-stop: Fiona, Rosa, Julian, and Emma wouldn't stop until they got all those lies and secrets untangled. New revelations and risks kept flowing in every passing day, but Fiona never slowed down.

That afternoon, Fiona sat in her apartment, going through some documents that Emma had passed to her. Then her phone rang. It was Emma on the line, and her voice was urgent.

"Fiona," Emma said, "we need to meet. I have found something important, and you need to see it right away."

Fiona's heart started racing. "Where should we meet?

Emma suggested a small café tucked away in a corner of the city, well away from prying eyes, and Fiona said she'd see her there and arrived some time later. Emma was already seated at a corner table.

Looking to make sure no one could hear, she slid a folder across the table to Fiona. "Been going through the accounts and the terms of business and came across this horrendous thing.

Fiona opened the folder and started reading. Gradually, she became wide-eyed as she caught the drift, all highlighted by Emma—transactions and agreements. "This seems like a rather massive cover-up. As if someone somewhere is really trying hard to purposely bury the truth away from everyone."

Emma nodded. "Exactly. These differences had been put to conceal a large sum of money which, through the differences, could influence the decisions regarding your case. Now, somebody has secretly been controlling events within Raven's family. So, who could that be?"

Emma wore a serious look on her face. "I don't have all the answers yet; however, it is apparent to me that we are facing a strong network. To find out more about the person behind it, we will have to go deeper."

As they were about to leave the coffeehouse, Emma received a message on her phone. She went through it then turned to Fiona; her face bearing a mixture of excitement and worry.

"Fiona, I have just had a call from someone claiming to have very important information and material to our case," said Emma. "They wish to have a sitting."

The interest of Fiona was piqued. "Who is it?"

Emma hesitated. "The text was anonymous, but they said they had some inside information on what's going with Raven's family. It might be a lead we would not wish to brush aside."

Fiona nodded, curious and yet cautious. "Let's set up the meeting. We have to follow every lead."

Emma responded to the mysterious contact, and they agreed to meet later that evening at a secluded spot outside the city. As Fiona and Emma drove to the meeting, Fiona couldn't help but think about who this mysterious informant could be and what they might reveal.

The rendezvous was set for a small, darkened dinner, on the edge of town. Fiona and Emma arrived first, scouting the room for their contact. It was an old-fashioned kind of place that had its own charm; it was decorated with antiques and was very calm, which didn't quite fit with what they were there to do.

A man in his late forties, longing for a very oldest trench coat and fedora, walked into the diner and took a seat in the booth at the back. Emma and Fiona approached him cautiously.

"Are you the one who has contacted us?" Fiona asked as they took a seat.

The man started by looking around him in order to see that no one was paying attention to their conversation. "Yes. I have information that could prove vital to your case. My name is Jack Morris.

Fiona and Emma eyed each other. "What is it you know, Jack?" Emma asked.

Jack lowered himself, speaking in a hush. "I used to work for a company that is connected to Raven's family. I know things that are actually closely guarded, or at least until now. I know there is a series of effort to control the outcome of several business dealings—included of which yours, Fiona, is part of."

Fiona's heart raced. "Control in what manner?

Jack inhaled deeply and said, "There is a slush fund going around to grease some guys at the top. It is set up to keep certain deals in favor of Raven's family and to shut down opposition to them. If you manage to get access to records of this fund, you will find evidence for the wrongdoings."

Emma's eyes widened. "Do you know where we could find these records?

Jack nodded. "I do know where they are stored but be careful. When they get just a whiff that you are on to them, they will do anything to protect themselves."

Her resolve hardened. "We need those records. Thank you for this information, Jack. We'll be careful".

Jack nodded and was gone into the night, leaving the diner. Fiona and Emma were left with renewed senses of purpose. It was obvious what had to happen next: those records needed to be sussed out and locked in tight—the ones that would reveal the corruption.

The next night, Fiona, Emma, and Julian discussed a plan to break into the high-security facility on the city outskirts where it was rumored the records could be stored in one of the secured locations because of the equipment installed: up-to-date cryptographic surveillance platforms and security.

Julian, being from a security background, took the initiative in trying to work out how to circumvent the security measures. Emma used her knowledge of the facility layout to lead them through the building.

Covered by darkness, the three of them crawled closer to the facility. Julian, again at their advantage, kindly disabled the security systems to lead them inside. Guided by Emma, he pointed out the place where all the records were kept in storage.

As they attempted to take what they needed and got out, Fiona's heart raced. By the second, every moment was like an eternity as they carefully amassed the documents and readied themselves for leaving.

As they finally made off towards the exit from the building, footsteps resounded through the hallways. Fiona's pulse was loud. If she found this all exciting, she still ran out of time.

"Let's go." Julian urgently whispered.

They walked back to the exit in haste, for they fortunately did not get caught. They heaved a sigh of relief by the time they got outside and got back to Fiona's apartment, safe.

The next days were spent scanning the records they had gathered. From the documents, they could be tracing a very complex network of financial transactions and agreements that were to indicate how far the manipulation and corruption would go.

Fiona, Emma, and Julian maneuvered all the findings of evidence to be taken as follow-up for the case against the perpetrators. The information was so incriminating, and it was evident how much had been the influence and manipulation.

Fiona had the feeling of struggle over the release to the official authorities. The struggle was at its hardest, but the truth was now fast-closing in on people.

One afternoon, Fiona, Rosa, Julian, and Emma gathered together in one of the rooms to map out their next strategies. The gravity of what they were able to find out seemed to sit heavily in the air of the room, but Fiona's resolve, on the other hand, proved adamant.

"We have done our best to get to the bottom of the matter," Fiona said. "Now it's the time to take our findings to the authorities and ensure the administration of justice."

Rosa smiled with encouragement. "You've been so strong through all of this, Fiona—you've shown such resilience."

Julian and Emma nodded in agreement, their faces reflecting the satisfaction of their hard work.

Looking around at her friends and allies, Fiona knew that they had so much to be thankful for. She did not know what lay ahead, but the path her life took would no longer be dictated by anyone else.

With the evidence at hand, Fiona confronted the forces undermining her and fought for a future of truth and justice.