Chapter 204: Key Evidence
Late at night, the lock on Evelyn’s room made a faint click.
Before she could turn around, a hot hand covered her mouth, pinning her against the door. The familiar scent of cedar and a hint of tobacco enveloped her.
"Shh, it’s me," Ryan’s husky voice whispered against her ear.
Evelyn’s body relaxed instantly. She pulled his hand away and saw his face in the moonlight. "Are you crazy? Camilla’s people are outside."
"They can't see us." Ryan pulled out a micro earpiece and a specially encrypted phone, pressing them into her hand. "My people have looped the security footage. We only have ten minutes."
He cupped her face, his thumb brushing her lip. "I'm sorry. I had to let you endure that tonight."
"One percent of the shares, Ryan. That was quite the move," Evelyn said, her tone a mix of reproach and amusement.
"It wasn't a gift. it was bait," Ryan sneered. "Those are the non-performing assets Nova hasn't stripped yet. It’ll be easy for Camilla and that greedy old bastard Richard to swallow, but if they want to spit it out, it’ll take their skin with it."
Evelyn blinked, then shook her head helplessly. "You calculated even that."
"I play to win." Ryan leaned his forehead against hers. "But I never gave up on you, Evelyn. Not for a single second."
That one sentence erased the last bit of tension in her heart. She kissed him quickly and urgently. "I trust you. We need to strike back. That old man wants the Lawrences; I won't let him have them."
"We split up," Ryan said, regaining his cool. "I’m going to Camilla’s study. Her private laptop must have direct evidence of Richard’s ties to the Twin Snakes. As for you..."
"Leave it to me." Evelyn waved the encrypted phone. "Professor Hayes got me access to the books of Richard’s Southeast Asian textile mills. It's time to tear the mask off this father-daughter duo."
Ryan gave her a deep look, then vanished down the hallway.
Evelyn didn't waste a second. She locked the door and connected with Professor Hayes. "Professor, I need to get into the back end of 'Prime Textiles' registered in the Caymans."
"I knew you'd call." Hayes sounded energized. "The firewall on that server is a joke. They’re too confident. They think no one dares check an energy tycoon’s side business."
As lines of code flew across the screen, hidden folders were cracked. Evelyn’s finger slid across the screen, her eyes growing colder.
Exactly. The so-called textile mills barely had any machines running, but the monthly raw material invoices were in the tens of millions. All those suppliers pointed back to that shell trust in Zurich. It was a money-laundering loop. They weren't making clothes; they were funding terrorists.
Evelyn hit save, copying five years of financial reports and wire transfers to the cloud.
Meanwhile, in the luxury suite on the top floor.
Camilla had drunk a bit too much at the gala. She was currently soaking in a petal bath, humming a song. Ryan moved silently into her study, put on gloves, and sat at her laptop.
The screen flickered with a photo of her and Richard. Ryan inserted a decoder into the USB port. The progress bar moved fast. In under thirty seconds, the password was cracked. He ignored the folders labeled with designer bags and jewelry. He searched for "Thorn" and "Twin Snakes." Nothing.
Ryan frowned. Camilla was spoiled, but Richard wasn't stupid. Such things wouldn't be out in the open. He opened the hidden system partition. A folder named "Family Reunion" caught his eye.
Inside weren't family photos. They were candid shots of meetings.
Ryan’s pupils contracted. In the photos, Richard sat at the head of a dark table, handing over a black briefcase. Another photo, taken in the Lawrence estate garden, showed Richard talking to a man holding a cigar. The man had a gold ring on his left ring finger.
It was Julian.
Ryan flipped through until he reached a document named "The List." It was full of code names and bank accounts. Julian’s name was there, labeled "Old Ghost." The notes section read: Internal security access granted. Execution plan ready on command.
"Damn it," Ryan hissed.
He pulled the decoder, transferred the files to his phone, wiped his tracks, and slipped out of the room. It was 2:00 AM.
Evelyn and Ryan met in the abandoned wine cellar. It was cold and damp—the only blind spot in the estate without cameras.
"Did you get it?" Evelyn asked as he emerged from the shadows.
"Everything." Ryan held up his phone. "Combined with your financial evidence, it’s enough to send Richard and Camilla straight to prison."
"Then let’s not wait." Evelyn gripped his hand. "Send it to Bernie. Let's end this."
Once Richard fell, the Council's impeachment would become a joke, and Ryan would be back in total control.