Chapter 90: Eira Getting Arrested: Checkmate!
The sound of the chandelier in the vast conference room was the only noise.
Henry leaned back in his leather chair, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.
He placed a thick folder on the polished table in front of him and slid it toward his lawyer, who gave a curt nod of approval.
"She won’t be able to resist this," Henry said in a quiet but firm voice. "Send the details to her. Let’s see if Eira is as clever as she thinks."
The lawyer hesitated for a mont. "And if she bites?"
Henry’s smirk widened. "She’ll wish she hadn’t."
"Understood."
"She’s my daughter, but it’s best if I show her who exactly her father is. And once she realizes, she will be happy to accept as her father."
>___<
Eira stood by the window of her small office, her arms wrapped around her chest.
Rain streaked the glass, blurring the view of the city.
A new email glowed on her screen, its subject line sharp and provocative: Exclusive: Henry Blackwood’s Offshore Accounts Linked to Steven Blackwood.
She didn’t sit down to read it.
Instead, she scrolled through the text on her phone, eyes focused as the details beca clearer.
A hidden deal between Steven and a shell company in the Cayman Islands, supposedly linked to Henry’s latest money-laundering sche. A single na popped up—"Steven Blackwood."
"Convenient," she muttered under her breath, pacing the room. "Too convenient."
Callian appeared in the doorway, his shirt untucked and his tie draped over one shoulder. "Got your ssage. What’s the lead?"
Eira held up her phone without looking at him. "Henry’s got his claws in Steven. Looks like the perfect thread to pull."
Callian scanned her expression for a mont. "And you don’t think it’s a trap?"
Eira shrugged. "Of course it’s a trap. But that doesn’t an there isn’t truth in it." She turned to face him, her jaw set. "I’m going."
His brow furrowed. "Eira, listen to . If Henry’s baiting you, it’s for a reason. You think he’s just handing you sothing this explosive? There’s no way it’s that easy."
"I know it’s not easy," she snapped. "Nothing about this has been easy. But we can’t sit around waiting for perfect leads. If there’s even a chance this is real—"
Callian cut her off. "If it’s real, we’ll find another way. He’s expecting you to go. And when you do, he’ll make sure you regret it."
She took a step closer, glaring at him. "I’m not scared of Henry."
"You should be," Callian said quietly.
The silence between them stretched like a wire ready to snap.
Finally, she turned away, grabbing her coat from the back of her chair.
"Eira—"
"Stay here if you want," she said without looking at him. "But I’m going."
>___<
The café was nearly empty when Eira arrived.
A waiter polished glasses behind the counter, and a couple sat by the window, speaking in hushed tones.
In the back corner, a man in a dark suit was waiting.
Steven looked up as she approached, his face pale, his fingers tapping a jittery rhythm on the table.
He didn’t greet her.
"You’re late," he muttered as she sat down across from him.
Eira ignored the comnt, pulling out a notebook. "Let’s get to it. What do you have?"
Steven glanced around nervously before sliding a flash drive across the table.
"Everything you need is on there. Bank transfers, fake invoices, emails. It’ll blow Henry’s operation wide open."
She didn’t reach for the drive. Instead, she studied him. "Why now? You’ve been Henry’s shadow for years. Why betray him?"
Steven flinched at the word "betray."
He glanced down at the table, his fingers twitching.
"I’m tired," he said finally. "Tired of being his puppet, tired of cleaning up his sses. This... this is my way out."
Before she could respond, the café door swung open, and three n in suits walked in.
They moved with purpose, scanning the room until they locked on her.
Eira’s heart thudded, but her face remained calm.
She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "What’s going on, Steven?"
He looked panicked, sweat forming at his temple. "I—I don’t know," he stamred.
The n approached their table, and the one in the lead pulled out a badge.
"Eira Hax," he said, his tone brisk. "You’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud."
Eira didn’t flinch. She turned to Steven. "You set up."
"No, I—"
The flash drive on the table suddenly felt heavier than lead.
She didn’t reach for it.
Instead, she raised her hands as one of the n produced handcuffs.
Callian arrived outside the café just as Eira was being led to a black car.
His breath ca in short bursts as he sprinted across the street.
"Eira!" he shouted, but the agents ignored him.
Eira glanced at him over her shoulder. "It’s fine," she said. "I’ll handle it."
Callian wasn’t convinced.
He looked around, spotting Steven slipping out the back entrance of the café.
His jaw tightened as he followed.
Steven had barely made it a block before Callian caught up to him, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. "What the hell did you do?"
Steven’s face crumpled, his voice shaking.
"I didn’t have a choice. Henry found out I was eting with her. He said if I didn’t play along, he’d destroy ."
"He’s going to destroy you anyway," Callian snapped. "And now she’s caught in the middle."
Steven’s eyes darted around as if searching for an escape. "She’s smart. She’ll figure it out."
Callian’s grip tightened. "You’d better hope so. Because if she doesn’t, I’ll make sure Henry isn’t your only problem."
At the station, Eira sat in a sterile interrogation room, her wrists cuffed to the table.
She stared at the mirror on the wall, knowing Henry was watching from the other side.
The door opened, and he walked in, his presence filling the room.
He looked down at her with a satisfied smile.
"You’ve been busy," he said, sitting across from her.
"Not as busy as you," she replied.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "You’ve got spirit, I’ll give you that. But spirit doesn’t win wars, Eira. Strategy does."
She leaned forward. "If you think this is over, you’re wrong."
Henry’s smile faltered for just a mont.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "You think Steven’s evidence will save you? I’ve already made sure it leads back to you. By the ti I’m done, you’ll be the one answering for my cris."
Eira didn’t blink.
She smiled, a small, confident smile.
"Funny thing about pawns," she said. "Sotis they reach the other side of the board."
Henry’s expression darkened.
Before he could respond, the door burst open, and Callian strode in with a folder in hand.
"You’re going to want to see this," he said, tossing it onto the table.
Henry glanced at it but didn’t move to pick it up.
"Go ahead," Callian said. "It’s a copy of the real evidence Steven gave her. The one that doesn’t implicate Eira. I wonder what the press will say when they see it."
For the first ti, Henry’s composure cracked.
Eira leaned back in her chair, her smile widening. "Checkmate."
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