The CEO's Contractual Wife (Olivia and Alexander) novel Chapter 294

Chapter 294

Chapter 294

Alexander

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I sat at my desk on Wednesday morning, reviewing acquisition documents that would give me complete access to Victoria’s financial crimes. The irony wasn’t lost on me: one hundred and eighty million dollars to buy evidence that would destroy her.

Money well spent.

My phone buzzed. Matteo.

“The Cayman and Pinnacle Group files are being transferred to our secure servers as we speak,” he said without preamble. “Initial review shows exactly what we suspected. Multiple offshore accounts, shell companies, fraudulent transfers. Years of

it.”

“How bad?”

“Prison bad. The kind of evidence that makes prosecutors salivate.”

I leaned back in my chair, staring out at the LA skyline. “And Victoria?”

“Her fingerprints are all over it. Thomas too. Every transaction documented, every account traced back to them.”

Perfect.

“Keep digging. I want everything organized and ready to present when the time comes.”

“Will do. One more thing, Mr. Carter. James Westbrook’s name appears in several files. Looks like he’s been using Cayman and Pinnacle for some creative accounting of his own.”

Even better.

After hanging up, I pulled up my calendar. Victoria had been circling like a shark since the Cayman acquisition, convinced I’d made a catastrophic mistake. Let her think that. Let her celebrate what she believed was my downfall.

The truth would reveal itself soon enough.

I gathered the documents Matteo had compiled: transaction records, wire transfers, shell companies, every piece of evidence meticulously organized. The Cayman acquisition had been worth every penny. Cayman and Pinnacle Group’s files contained exactly what I’d suspected.

Years of fraudulent activity. Victoria’s fingerprints were all over it.

I scheduled a meeting with her. Not at the office where prying eyes could witness the confrontation. Not at the estate where family might interrupt. Somewhere public enough to keep things civil but private enough for honest conversation.

L’Ermitage, a high–end French restaurant downtown. Corner booth, away from the main dining room. Perfect for discussions that require discretion.

I arrived twenty minutes early, secured the booth, and ordered a scotch. The manila folder sat on the seat beside me, innocuous and devastating in equal measure.

Victoria walked in at exactly seven o’clock, dressed in a charcoal dress. She spotted me immediately, her expression carefully

neutral as she crossed the restaurant.

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“Alexander” She slid into the booth across from me, her movements precise and elegant. “This is unexpected. When you said you

wanted to meet. I assumed it would be at the office.”

“Some conversations require privacy.” I gestured to the folder beside me. “Can I get you a drink?

“Chardonnay.” Her eyes flicked to the folder, then back to my face. “What’s this about?”

The waiter appeared, took her order, and disappeared. Victoria settled back against the leather booth, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp.

“You’ve been busy,” I said once the waiter was gone.

Tm always busy. Be more specific.”

I slid the manila folder across the table. “Open it.”

Victoria’s hand hesitated for just a fraction of a second before she pulled the folder toward her. Her manicured nails clicked against the manila surface as she opened it.

I watched her face as she started reading. The first page showed transaction records from offshore accounts. The second detailed shell companies registered in her name. The third mapped wire transfers totaling millions of dollars.

Her hand trembled slightly as she flipped through the documents. Just a tremor, barely visible, but I caught it.

She closed the folder slowly, her fingers pressing against the manila with deliberate control. When she finally looked up at me, her eyes had gone cold.

“Where did you get these?”

“The Cayman acquisition Cayman and Pinnacle Group’s files contained comprehensive records of their client activities.” I took a sip of scotch. “Including yours.”

Victoria’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “These prove nothing.”

“They prove everything. Years of embezzlement, fraudulent transfers, corporate theft. All documented with forensic precision. I leaned forward slightly. “Every transaction you thought was hidden? It’s all here.”

“You’re blutting.

“Am I?” I pulled out my phone and scrolled to a specific document. “March fifteenth, two years ago. Transfer of three million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from Carter Enterprises vendor account to a shell company in the Cayman Islands. That shell company then transferred the money to an account in your name.” I looked up. “Want me to keep going? Because Ive got dozens more just like it.”

Her face had gone pale beneath her makeup. She recovered quickly, her expression shifting from shock to calculation.

“What do you want?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” I set my phone down. “What do I want from my cousin who’s been stealing from the family company for years?”

“I didn’t steal anything I borrowed against future earnings

Borrowing requires permission. You had none.”

Victoria’s eyes narrowed, her hands gripping the edge of the table. “If you show those documents to anyone… the board, the authorities, even Grandfather… I’ll destroy you completely

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I raised an eyebrow. “Will you?”

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“I have proof that your marriage to Olivia is a business arrangement. A sham designed solely to secure your inheritance.” Her voice was low, venomous. “I’ll leak everything to the press. The timeline, the financial terms, the whole arrangement. The scandal will prove you manipulated Grandfather’s requirement.”

She paused, letting that sink in.

“You’ll lose everything. The company, your reputation, Grandfather’s trust. The board will demand your resignation. And I’ll be right there to take your place.”

I studied her across the table, noting the desperation beneath her threats. “So we’re at an impasse.”

“Not an impasse. Mutually assured destruction.” Victoria leaned forward, her voice dropping lower. “You expose me for embezzlement, I expose your marriage as fraud. We both lose.”

“Interesting theory.” I swirled my scotch. “But you’re assuming I care more about my reputation than about justice.”

“Don’t be naive. You care about power. Same as me.” Her eyes glittered. “You won’t throw away everything you’ve built just to take me down.”

“Won’t I?”

“No.” She sat back, her confidence returning. “Because you’re not stupid. You know that the moment you go public with this, I’ll release everything I have about your arrangement with Olivia. The arrangement, the contract terms, the whole sordid deal.”

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