A Single Dad Took His Drunk Friend Home — Then the CEO Who Watched Him All Night Asked Him to Stay
Chapter 8
The old terminal was abandoned.
Cargo containers lined the river.
The place was almost completely dark.
Victoria and Ethan arrived with federal agents nearby.
They carried a duplicate ledger.
The real one remained with prosecutors.
A man stepped from behind a container.
Edward Hart.
Former Sterling executive.
He had once been one of Victoria’s father’s closest advisers.
“You look like him,” he told Ethan.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do to him?”
Edward smiled.
“He asked too many questions.”
Victoria stepped forward.
“You were there.”
“I was.”
She shook her head.
“Why?”
“Because your father wanted the company protected.”
“By killing people?”
“Sometimes protection requires difficult decisions.”
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“You’re done.”
Edward laughed.
“Your father would be disappointed.”
“No.”
She looked at him.
“He would be disappointed in me if I became him.”
Federal agents moved in.
Edward’s men panicked.
Gunfire didn’t erupt.
There was no dramatic violence.
The agents had already surrounded the area.
Edward surrendered.
The arrests expanded.
Investigators finally gained access to the complete network.
Ethan’s father’s death was formally reopened.
Evidence showed his car had indeed been sabotaged.
The case was no longer considered an accident.
Ethan stood alone afterward.
Victoria approached.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head.
“You didn’t do this.”
“But my family did.”
“That’s not your fault.”
She looked at him.
“You don’t hate me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re trying to fix it.”
Victoria smiled sadly.
“I don’t know if I can.”
He took her hand.
“You don’t have to fix everything.”
She looked surprised.
“Then what?”
“Just don’t stop trying.”
That was the moment Victoria understood why she had asked him to stay.
Not because he was fearless.
Because he knew how to keep going.
