Chapter 9 - THE GRAVE
They arrived at the cemetery under a gray Chicago sky.
Rain had begun falling.
Michael was nowhere to be seen.
But something had been left beside Emily's mother's grave.
A red envelope.
Emily approached.
Daniel stopped her.
"I'll check it."
He examined the envelope.
No wires.
No obvious trap.
He handed it to her.
Inside was a photograph.
Emily's mother.
Standing beside a young Michael Kang.
On the back:
She knew where the money came from.
Another photograph.
Her mother holding a baby.
Emily.
And beside them stood Thomas Carter.
But the face of the man had been scratched out.
Emily stared.
"Why would someone destroy his face?"
Daniel looked at the photograph.
"Because they don't want you to know who he really was."
Then Emily noticed something.
A tattoo on the man's wrist.
Three black lines.
She remembered seeing it before.
On the delivery man.
The assistant manager.
The man at the store.
Michael.
All of them had the same tattoo.
"They're connected."
Daniel nodded.
"A network."
"How many?"
"Unknown."
Park approached.
"We found a vehicle."
Michael's SUV.
Empty.
Inside was another clue.
A laptop.
They took it back to the estate.
Daniel's cybersecurity team opened it.
There were hundreds of encrypted files.
One folder wasn't encrypted.
PROJECT CARTER.
Emily's stomach dropped.
They opened it.
Her entire life appeared on screen.
School records.
Medical records.
Addresses.
Photographs.
Every job she'd ever had.
Every person she'd dated.
Every bank account.
Every conversation with her mother.
Emily felt sick.
"How long have they been watching me?"
Daniel stared at the screen.
"Twenty-six years."
"What?"
"Your file starts the day you were born."
Emily stepped away.
"No."
Daniel caught her hand.
"Emily."
"Twenty-six years."
She looked at him.
"Why would anyone care about a baby?"
Daniel's voice was quiet.
"Because your mother knew where the money was."
A new file appeared.
FINAL ACCOUNT — EMILY CARTER
They opened it.
A bank account.
In Emily's name.
Balance:
$184,000,000.
Emily stopped breathing.
Daniel stared.
"That's impossible."
The account had been created before Emily was born.
The beneficiary was listed as:
Emily Carter — Trust Beneficiary
Trustee:
Mrs. Sun-Hee Kang.
Emily turned toward Mrs. Kang.
The old woman looked devastated.
"I was trying to protect it."
"Protect what?"
"Your inheritance."
Emily stared.
"From whom?"
Mrs. Kang whispered,
"Your father."
Emily felt tears in her eyes.
"My father left me one hundred eighty-four million dollars?"
"No."
Mrs. Kang shook her head.
"Your father stole that money."
Silence.
"Then whose is it?"
Mrs. Kang looked at Daniel.
"His."
Emily looked at Daniel.
He shook his head.
"No."
Mrs. Kang nodded.
"Your father stole it from Daniel's family."
Daniel's face hardened.
"So my money has been hidden in Emily's name for twenty-six years?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Michael could not touch it."
Emily stared at the screen.
"And now?"
Mrs. Kang's expression changed.
"Now he can."
Daniel looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because the trust matures today."
Emily's blood went cold.
"What happens today?"
Mrs. Kang whispered,
"The money becomes legally accessible."
A phone rang.
Everyone looked at Emily.
Unknown number.
She answered.
Michael's voice came through.
"Happy birthday, Emily."
She froze.
May you like
He laughed.
"Now let's talk about your inheritance."
