Chapter 5

As the IPO date approached, Julian Vance’s ambitions grew exponentially.

I used my position to access the Vance & Miller Group’s core financial data.

And what I found… it was worse than I ever imagined.

The company’s financial reports were crafted to perfection, like a beautifully wrapped gift.

But as I peeled back layer after layer of disguise, what I saw was a horrifying black hole.

Massive amounts of funds had been transferred to offshore shell corporations through complex cross-border transactions.

The so-called "high-tech projects" were nothing more than fronts to scam government subsidies and investor funds.

Julian Vance wasn't interested in building a commercial empire.

He was setting up a scheme.

A colossal financial scam.

He planned to dump his shares at the peak of the company’s IPO, cash out, steal all the investors’ money, then run off with Celeste and disappear without a trace.

If this scam succeeded, tens of thousands of families would lose everything.

They would be bled dry, just like my father three years ago.

I shared my investigation results with Marcus Thorne.

On the phone, his voice was grave.

“This isn’t just commercial fraud anymore, it’s draining the lifeblood from the entire market.

Ms. Reed, are you… sure you want to do this alone? It’s incredibly dangerous.”

Ms. Reed.

He knew my identity.

I wasn’t surprised. With his capabilities, uncovering "Sarah Hayes’s" past was only a matter of time.

“Mr. Thorne.”

I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the city lights below.

“Three years ago, I lost everything. Now, I can’t stand by and watch him destroy thousands of other families.”

“This isn’t just my revenge.”

“It’s my responsibility.”

I hung up and turned back to the mountains of documents piled in my office.

These were Julian Vance’s death warrant.

And I was going to be the one to ring his death knell.

The day before the celebration party, Julian Vance called me to his office.

He handed me a velvet box.

“Sarah, you’ve worked incredibly hard these past few months. This is your reward.”

I opened it. Inside was an expensive diamond necklace.

“After tomorrow, we’ll usher in a new era.”

He was beaming with triumph as he walked closer to me, his voice dropping, tinged with a suggestive暧昧 tone.

“Interested in joining me to pioneer this new era?”

He thought I could be bought with money and status.

He thought all women were like Celeste, easily manipulated by him.

I closed the box and pushed it back to him.

“Mr. Vance, I’m just a consultant. My work will be complete after tomorrow’s celebration.”

The smile on his face froze.

“You’re rejecting me?”

“No.”

I looked at him, enunciating each word.

“I’m telling you that tomorrow, you absolutely must give me an opportunity to give my final work report on stage. I’ll present you and all the guests with a real ‘surprise’.”

His eyes became complex, filled with confusion, curiosity, but mostly, offended arrogance.

He hadn’t understood my hint.

But it didn’t matter.

The game was almost over.

He would understand soon enough.