Chapter 4 - The Man Who Protected His Enemy
Raymond Saxton had spent years building his empire by removing threats.
But Adrian Vale was different.
Adrian was not an outsider.
He was family.
Not by blood.
By history.
They had built Saxton Group together.
When Raymond had nothing but ambition, Adrian had been there.
When investors doubted them, Adrian stayed.
When competitors attacked, Adrian defended.
That was why the betrayal hurt differently.
Raymond did not want to believe it.
But Lark saw something he refused to admit.
"You trust him."
Raymond stood by the window.
"No."
Lark looked at him.
"Yes, you do."
He remained silent.
She continued.
"If you didn't trust him, you would have fired him already."
Raymond turned.
"You think you understand me?"
"No."
She answered honestly.
"I think I understand numbers."
A pause.
"And your behavior is a number."
For the first time, Raymond almost smiled.
Almost.
"You compare people to accounting?"
"People are patterns."
That answer stayed with him.
---
They continued investigating quietly.
They couldn't accuse Adrian without proof.
Raymond knew better than anyone.
Power without evidence was just noise.
They tracked approvals.
Emails.
Financial transfers.
Meeting schedules.
Then they found something.
A private company.
Hidden behind three different corporations.
A company receiving small consulting payments from Saxton Group.
Lark stared at the screen.
"That's it."
Raymond looked.
"The missing money?"
"Part of it."
She enlarged the records.
"The money wasn't disappearing."
She pointed.
"It was being collected."
Raymond's expression darkened.
"By Adrian."
"Not directly."
She shook her head.
"Someone is protecting him."
That was the problem.
Adrian was not acting alone.
---
That night, someone broke into Lark's apartment.
Nothing was stolen.
Nothing was damaged.
Only one thing changed.
A file folder on her desk had been moved.
She noticed immediately.
Because Lark noticed everything.
Her hands froze.
Someone had been inside.
Someone wanted her to know.
A warning.
When Raymond arrived twenty minutes later, he was furious.
Not loud.
Not emotional.
Worse.
Silent.
"You should have called me immediately."
Lark crossed her arms.
"I didn't think you were my emergency contact."
Raymond stared.
"You are investigating people who have stolen millions from me."
"And?"
"And they know you are helping me."
A pause.
His voice lowered.
"That makes you a target."
Lark looked at him.
For a moment, she saw something beneath the businessman.
Not anger.
Concern.
"You were worried."
Raymond looked away.
"I was calculating risk."
"That wasn't what I asked."
Silence.
Then Raymond said quietly:
"Yes."
The answer surprised her.
Because Raymond Saxton admitted fear.
Not for himself.
May you like
For her.
---
