Chapter 353

The city lights slid past as the black vehicle made its way through the crowded streets.

Isaac leaned back in the rear seat, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again,lost in his thoughts.

He reached out his phone, his fingers moving with practiced precision as he punched in a number.

A cheerful voice answered almost instantly. "Isaac!What's the occasion? Did you finally get yourself into some trouble?"

The playful tone belonged to Stevie.

A faint grin tugged at Isaac's mouth. "Knock it off,Stevie. I've got work for you."

Sensing the shift in mood, Stevie's voice turned serious. "Name it. What do you need?"

"Ever heard of Sherwood Kirk?" Isaac asked, his tone all business.

Stevie paused, thinkingfor a second. "Yeah, I know the name. He's a heavyweight in Ochrerayd-right up there with Joseph and Luis. Makes friends in high places."

Isaac's gaze dropped, his voice low and steady. "He's crossed a line with someone very important to me.I want to make sure he pays for it. Here's what l need: use your skills to put together a convincing video of Howe Adams-one of Sherwood's trusted men-meeting with Verena somewhere private. I want it airtight, no room for suspicion. And, while you're at it, funnel some cash to Howe's wife from an untraceable account. I'll send you Howe's photo and his wife's banking info in a boit."

The moment Isaac mentioned "someone very important,"Stevie instantly caught on-Sherwood was targeting Verena. That alone was enough to spark outrage on the other end of the line.

Stevie's voice shot back, loaded with anger, replying,"That stubborn old man really thinks he can go after Verena? He's in for a rude awakening. Don't stress,Isaac. I'll make sure he regrets it."

Within seventy-two hours, Stevie pulled off the job flawlessly.

The fake footage was so seamless, it looked like genuine security cam footage of Howe and Verena having a private meeting-no obvious gaps, nothing that would raise an eyebrow.

Meanwhile,the payment to Howe's wife landed right on schedule, impossible to trace back to lsaac or Stevie.

Every move was made in silence,leaving no evidence behind.

On the other side, Henson was a bundle of nerves,Isaac's threats still fresh in his mind. Resentment toward Howe and dread of what lsaac could do kept him moving.

He grabbed his chance and walked into Sherwood's office.

Sherwood sat at his massive desk, rolling a pen between his fingers. As soon as Henson appeared,Sherwood pinned him with a cold, measuring stare."I have another meeting soon. You've got ten minutes,so don't waste them."

Facing Sherwood, Henson felt a cold sweat bead at his temples. To most, Sherwood played the perfect gentleman, always composed and polite. Those in his inner circle, though, knew there was something far more dangerous beneath the surface.

Trying to steady his nerves, Henson balled his fists and drew a shaky breath.He rolled his shoulders back, lifted his chin, and looked Sherwood in the eye. "Mr. Kirk, there's something you need to hear. Just a few days ago, l caught Howe sneaking off to meet Verena in private."

The words hung in the air. Sherwood's eyes flashed,and the pen he'd been spinning stilled in his grasp.

Encouraged by the reaction, Henson pressed on,chewing his lip as he spoke. "I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I saw them together-no mistake."

Sherwood leaned in, suspicion sharpening his gaze."Are you sure? You'd better not be making this up.If I find out you're lying, you know what'll happen."

Henson nodded his head vigorously, anxiety etched on his face. "I wouldn't dare, sir. I made sure to note down everything-when and where I saw them."

"May 3rd. Lisea Club. I saw it all myself," he added,rattling off the details exactly as Isaac had instructed.

Sherwood reclined in his chair, his face unreadable,shadows flickering in his eyes. Howe had served him faithfully for years-trusted,loyal,always reliable.The accusation didn't fit. And yet...

Sherwood eyed Henson, sizing up the certainty in his voice. For a moment, it almost seemed plausible Even with his doubts, Sherwood kept his poker face.Decades in the game had taught him never to show his hand too soon.

He let out a calm chuckle, waving Henson off. "You've got it twisted. Howe was following Verena on my orders-keeping tabs, nothing more."

Henson's heart skipped. The answer matched Isaac's prediction exactly.

Hiding his nerves, Henson pulled out his phone and navigated to a prepared file. He slid the device across the desk. "Honestly, I thought it might be a misunderstanding at first. I wanted to be sure, so l did a little digging. Here's something I managed to capture-take a look for yourself."

He tapped play, and the screen lit up with footage of Howe and Verena tucked away in a quiet corner,appearing to hold a private exchange.

No sound played, but the image alone hinted at something secretive, their closeness difficult to ignore.

"And that's not all," Henson added, retrieving a document from his briefcase and sliding it across the desk. "I pulled every string I could to get this transaction record-it shows a payment made to Howe's wife from an untraceable account. I didn't want to bring you rumors, Mr. Kirk. You deserve solid proof. You've always trusted me, and I wanted to make sure you saw the truth for yourself. The whole thing just didn't sit right, and I couldn't let it go unreported."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Henson kept a close watch on Sherwood, gauging every twitch of his face.

Sherwood's expression darkened, his eyes flicking between the damning footage and the transaction record.

An uneasy silence gripped the office, heavy enough to smother the room.

Having spent years under Sherwood's command,Henson recognized the storm brewing just beneath that cold exterior.

Seeing an opening, Henson leaned in, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Mr. Kirk,look at this carefully. Does any of this feel like a routine surveillance report to you? You said Howe was supposed to keep you in the loop about Verena,right?Has he ever mentioned actually meeting her-face-to -face?"

Sherwood's brow drew tight, the tension in his jaw growing with each second. Not missing a beat,Henson continued, "If everything was above board,he would've come to you the moment it happened.Instead, you hear nothing until now."

A muscle jumped in Sherwood's cheek. His chest rose and fell in short, sharp bursts, but he stayed quiet,holding his tongue.

Henson drew in a shaky breath and delivered his last push. "And there's something else. The day after that secret meeting, Howe's wife suddenly gets a big deposit from a mystery account. Are we supposed to write that off as luck? Why would Howe hide that from you if everything was clean? It just doesn't add up.Maybe..."

He let the thought hang, just as lsaac had instructed,letting suspicion fill the void.