A Single Dad Took His Drunk Friend Home — Then the CEO Who Watched Him All Night Asked Him to Stay
Chapter 7
The house went dark.
Victoria moved immediately.
“Everyone away from the windows.”
Ethan grabbed the metal box.
Henry locked the back door.
A vehicle engine started outside.
Then another.
Lily wasn’t there.
That was Ethan’s only comfort.
They waited.
Footsteps approached.
Then stopped.
A voice came through the door.
“Mr. Mason.”
Henry went pale.
“The men who worked for your father.”
Victoria looked at Ethan.
“We need to leave.”
They escaped through a back entrance.
A second vehicle waited in the alley.
Victoria’s security driver.
They reached the city before dawn.
The ledger was safe.
But the threat was now obvious.
This wasn’t an investigation anymore.
It was a fight.
Victoria called an attorney.
She called federal contacts.
She called the board.
Then she did something Ethan didn’t expect.
She announced an internal review of Sterling Global’s historical finances.
The board panicked.
“You’re destroying investor confidence.”
“I’m destroying a lie.”
Several directors demanded she stop.
She refused.
Ethan watched her.
“You could lose your company.”
She looked at him.
“I already know what happens when power matters more than people.”
He understood.
She was confronting her father’s legacy.
Even if it cost her everything.
The investigation quickly revealed that Marcus had only been a small player.
The real operation was being controlled by two retired executives and a private security company.
Their goal was to recover the old ledger.
They believed it contained enough information to expose them.
They were right.
A message arrived.
Bring the ledger to the old terminal.
Another followed.
Come alone.
Ethan looked at Victoria.
“No.”
She nodded.
“We go together.”
He stared.
“Why?”
“Because I’m tired of making decisions alone.”
He smiled.
“Good.”
For the first time, Ethan understood why Victoria had asked him to stay.
She didn’t need another employee.
She needed someone who would stand beside her when the easiest choice was to run.
