On one of the encrypted phones, I texted my attorney.
“Proceed with the plan.”
Her reply came immediately.
“Already in motion.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror as Los Angeles slowly woke behind me.
No one could possibly imagine what was about to happen next.
By 8:00 a.m., the city was functioning normally, unaware that one of America’s most powerful executives was about to lose everything.
Ethan woke inside the hotel penthouse with a pounding headache.
Vanessa was curled beside him, smiling in her sleep.
He lazily reached for his phone.
Then froze.
184 missed calls.
293 text messages.
The board group chat exploding nonstop.
When he saw the photo, all the color drained from his face.
For ten seconds, he couldn’t breathe.
Then he shot upright in bed.
“What’s wrong?” Vanessa murmured sleepily.
Ethan ignored her.
His hands shook as he scrolled through the board messages.
At 5:11 a.m., the CFO had written:
“What the hell is this?”
At 5:16, Ethan’s father — Richard Whitmore — had sent a single message:
“You are an idiot.”
“Give me your phone,” Ethan demanded suddenly.
Vanessa frowned. “Why?”
