{"id":6174,"date":"2026-09-22T18:16:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T18:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=6174"},"modified":"2026-09-22T18:16:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T18:16:57","slug":"part-6-we-followed-my-fathers-most-trusted-adviser-into-a-midnight-meeting-and-discovered-derek-had-been-planning-this-long-before-i-arrived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=6174","title":{"rendered":"PART 6 \u2013 We Followed My Father\u2019s Most Trusted Adviser Into a Midnight Meeting and Discovered Derek Had Been Planning This Long Before I Arrived"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Luna did not sleep.<\/p>\n<p>At five thirty in the morning, Adam found her in the kitchen wearing yesterday\u2019s clothes and staring at a mug of coffee she had forgotten to drink.<\/p>\n<p>He opened a cabinet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you ever buy cereal?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBread?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEggs?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis marriage is failing domestically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked up.<\/p>\n<p>The exhaustion under her eyes made the joke die quickly.<\/p>\n<p>He moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She leaned back against the counter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan knew my father longer than almost anyone outside the family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make him loyal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n<p>There was almost nothing useful.<\/p>\n<p>He found yogurt.<\/p>\n<p>Luna took it without argument.<\/p>\n<p>That frightened him too.<\/p>\n<p>By seven, they had made a decision neither of them particularly liked.<\/p>\n<p>They would not use Sterling corporate security.<\/p>\n<p>Not yet.<\/p>\n<p>If Nolan had been leaking information for years, they had no idea which systems were compromised or who else might be involved.<\/p>\n<p>Instead Luna contacted a private security consultant Martin trusted.<\/p>\n<p>His name was Joseph Reyes.<\/p>\n<p>He arrived at eight fifteen.<\/p>\n<p>Former federal investigator, early fifties, controlled manner, no wasted movement.<\/p>\n<p>He reviewed the messages first.<\/p>\n<p>Then the camera metadata.<\/p>\n<p>Then Nolan\u2019s name.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you want surveillance or confrontation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSurveillance,\u201d Luna said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou expected me to pick confrontation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause I know you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes asked for Nolan\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Luna had access through the family office.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan was supposedly working from home.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes checked the address.<\/p>\n<p>Then looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe isn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVehicle tracker.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can track him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamily office vehicles report location through fleet insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He turned the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan\u2019s company-issued SUV had been parked for two hours in a garage downtown.<\/p>\n<p>Three blocks from Sterling Marketing.<\/p>\n<p>Adam leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not use the office garage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he doesn\u2019t want his car seen there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna grabbed her coat.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam quietly enjoyed watching someone tell Luna Sterling no.<\/p>\n<p>She did not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe betrayed my family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is exactly why you\u2019re not going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to see this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need admissible evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna stepped closer.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes remained unmoved.<\/p>\n<p>Adam intervened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if we follow separately?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorth trying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next three hours were miserable.<\/p>\n<p>Adam went to work because absence would look suspicious.<\/p>\n<p>Luna did the same.<\/p>\n<p>They acted normal.<\/p>\n<p>Normal meant Luna attended a strategy meeting about a beverage launch while knowing one of her father\u2019s oldest advisers might have conspired against her.<\/p>\n<p>Normal meant Adam revised copy for a regional bank while wondering whether Derek had footage of him sleeping beside Luna.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus watched him for ten minutes before asking, \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was terrifyingly unconvincing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam kept typing.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus leaned against the desk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs the marriage thing blowing up?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe board meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cold moved through him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone upstairs knows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot officially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam looked toward the glass conference rooms.<\/p>\n<p>People were working.<\/p>\n<p>Talking.<\/p>\n<p>Laughing.<\/p>\n<p>But suddenly he noticed how many looked away when he glanced toward them.<\/p>\n<p>The leak was already spreading.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus lowered his voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRumor says Luna falsified the marriage for control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus studied him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe you don\u2019t look like someone getting rich off a scam.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think something weird happened. I also think Derek Sterling is the kind of man who shakes your hand while measuring you for a coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s vivid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI write copy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus straightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what it\u2019s worth, people like Luna more than Derek thinks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re scared of her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose are different things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before Adam could ask more, his phone vibrated.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes.<\/p>\n<p>NOLAN IS MOVING.<\/p>\n<p>Adam stood.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLunch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s ten forty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEarly lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re a terrible liar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam grabbed his jacket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNoted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He met Luna in the underground garage.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes drove.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Luna nor Adam spoke much.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan\u2019s SUV moved west.<\/p>\n<p>Then south.<\/p>\n<p>Then toward an industrial district near the river.<\/p>\n<p>They stayed several cars back.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes had a second investigator ahead of them.<\/p>\n<p>Ten minutes later, Nolan pulled into an old office park.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes slowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna ignored him and opened the door.<\/p>\n<p>He locked it electronically.<\/p>\n<p>She glared.<\/p>\n<p>Adam turned toward the window so she wouldn\u2019t see him smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou find this funny?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re smiling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStress response.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes left them in the SUV.<\/p>\n<p>Through the windshield, they watched Nolan enter a low brick building with no visible company sign.<\/p>\n<p>Five minutes passed.<\/p>\n<p>Then ten.<\/p>\n<p>A black car entered the lot.<\/p>\n<p>Adam recognized it before Luna spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her brother stepped out.<\/p>\n<p>No driver.<\/p>\n<p>No assistant.<\/p>\n<p>He entered the same building.<\/p>\n<p>Adam leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s your meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s face was rigid.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes returned twenty minutes later.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecond-floor office. We can\u2019t record interior audio legally without consent or warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen what do we have?\u201d Luna asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhotographs of both entering. Timing. Location. Vehicle records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat proves nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt proves contact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re family associates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna swore quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere may be more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe building is owned by Sterling Strategic Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam laughed once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek\u2019s company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Nolan meeting him here isn\u2019t illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it\u2019s stupid if they\u2019re trying to hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey didn\u2019t expect anyone to know Nolan was compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>Her assistant.<\/p>\n<p>She ignored it.<\/p>\n<p>Adam watched the building.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s Nolan\u2019s role in the family office?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecords, trusts, payments, property administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCould he access archived employment investigations?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cContracts?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEstate room assignments?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecurity vendors?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he could have hired whoever planted the camera.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After nearly an hour, Nolan emerged.<\/p>\n<p>He was alone.<\/p>\n<p>He drove away.<\/p>\n<p>Derek remained inside.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes started the SUV.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo we follow Nolan or stay on Derek?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNolan,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n<p>Luna agreed.<\/p>\n<p>They followed him north.<\/p>\n<p>His next stop surprised them.<\/p>\n<p>Not home.<\/p>\n<p>Not the office.<\/p>\n<p>The Sterling estate.<\/p>\n<p>Luna sat straighter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would he go there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes said, \u201cWe find out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The drive took nearly forty minutes.<\/p>\n<p>By the time they reached the foothills, Nolan\u2019s SUV was already parked near a service entrance.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes stopped far enough away to avoid being seen.<\/p>\n<p>They waited.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty minutes later, a maintenance van arrived.<\/p>\n<p>The logo belonged to a local home technology company.<\/p>\n<p>Adam photographed it.<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s expression went hard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat company installed the estate network three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo they maintain cameras?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The van stayed fifteen minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Then left.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan remained.<\/p>\n<p>Adam opened his phone.<\/p>\n<p>He searched the company publicly.<\/p>\n<p>One of the listed services was home surveillance installation and repair.<\/p>\n<p>He turned the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not subtle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cBut still circumstantial.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna stared at the estate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m done waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She reached for the handle.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes did not lock it this time.<\/p>\n<p>Instead he said, \u201cIf you go inside, you destroy our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want proof?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen let him think you know nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna sat back.<\/p>\n<p>Her hands trembled with anger.<\/p>\n<p>Adam reached over.<\/p>\n<p>He covered one with his.<\/p>\n<p>She did not pull away.<\/p>\n<p>Nolan finally left shortly after two.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes followed him.<\/p>\n<p>The second investigator stayed behind to observe the house.<\/p>\n<p>They returned to Denver.<\/p>\n<p>At four thirty, Reyes called.<\/p>\n<p>The investigator at the estate had found something useful.<\/p>\n<p>A discarded packaging sleeve in the exterior maintenance bin.<\/p>\n<p>Same manufacturer as the bedroom camera.<\/p>\n<p>Purchased from a regional surveillance supplier.<\/p>\n<p>The serial-number range was visible.<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s attorney obtained an emergency preservation request through the vendor.<\/p>\n<p>By six fifteen, they had a purchase record.<\/p>\n<p>The camera had been ordered two months earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Paid by a Sterling family office card.<\/p>\n<p>Authorized user: Nolan Pierce.<\/p>\n<p>Luna sat at the dining table staring at the transaction.<\/p>\n<p>Adam stood behind her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt proves he bought it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot that he placed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin, connected by video call, added, \u201cBut paired with network routing through Derek\u2019s company, it becomes significant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSignificant enough for the trust clause?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She almost threw the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>Adam touched her shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop saying potentially,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Martin remained calm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCourts and trustees enjoy that word.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m aware.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then Reyes\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>He stepped aside.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed as he listened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe camera purchase wasn\u2019t the only transaction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He opened another file.<\/p>\n<p>The family office card had paid the same surveillance vendor three times.<\/p>\n<p>The earliest payment was nine months ago.<\/p>\n<p>Before Luna had approached Adam.<\/p>\n<p>Before she had considered Evan Carlisle.<\/p>\n<p>Before the fake-marriage arrangement existed.<\/p>\n<p>Adam frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was Derek watching nine months ago?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna went still.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes turned the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>The invoice description was vague.<\/p>\n<p>Residential equipment consultation.<\/p>\n<p>Estate access hardware.<\/p>\n<p>Remote capture components.<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNine months ago my father had already been dead over a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin spoke through the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas anything happening with the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was when the trustees notified me the marriage deadline would not be extended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Derek started surveillance when he realized you might fail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes said, \u201cOr Nolan did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna stared at the dates.<\/p>\n<p>Then another thought occurred.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere else were cameras installed?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No one answered.<\/p>\n<p>The silence changed everything.<\/p>\n<p>Adam looked around the penthouse.<\/p>\n<p>His stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes understood instantly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Nolan had access to your properties, assume this apartment may be compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The penthouse became a crime scene within an hour.<\/p>\n<p>A technical team arrived.<\/p>\n<p>They checked lamps.<\/p>\n<p>Smoke detectors.<\/p>\n<p>Outlets.<\/p>\n<p>Routers.<\/p>\n<p>Thermostats.<\/p>\n<p>Television equipment.<\/p>\n<p>Air vents.<\/p>\n<p>Furniture.<\/p>\n<p>Adam watched from the hallway while two technicians disassembled the living-room media system.<\/p>\n<p>At eight forty-two, they found the first device.<\/p>\n<p>Inside a decorative speaker.<\/p>\n<p>No active indicator.<\/p>\n<p>Small enough to disappear behind the mesh.<\/p>\n<p>At nine eleven, they found a second.<\/p>\n<p>Inside the study.<\/p>\n<p>Pointed toward Luna\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n<p>At nine thirty-six, a third.<\/p>\n<p>Guest hallway.<\/p>\n<p>No direct bedroom view.<\/p>\n<p>Luna looked increasingly pale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis has been happening for months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reyes said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Adam felt rage settle somewhere below his ribs.<\/p>\n<p>Not explosive rage.<\/p>\n<p>The controlled kind.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had turned Luna\u2019s home into an observation post.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had watched her work.<\/p>\n<p>Move.<\/p>\n<p>Eat.<\/p>\n<p>Sleep behind nearby walls.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps cry where no one was supposed to see.<\/p>\n<p>He hated Derek more for the quietness of it.<\/p>\n<p>The devices transmitted through encrypted relays.<\/p>\n<p>Same infrastructure family as the estate camera.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes photographed everything.<\/p>\n<p>Then one technician called from Luna\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They entered.<\/p>\n<p>He had found a small hardware logger attached behind her home desktop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt captures keystrokes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna stared.<\/p>\n<p>Adam\u2019s voice turned cold.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo that\u2019s how they got the contract?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly,\u201d Reyes said.<\/p>\n<p>The technician checked the system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt could capture document access, passwords, emails.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrust records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBoard correspondence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompany strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is bigger than the marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Derek received corporate confidential information\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin\u2019s voice came through the laptop speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026then this may move beyond trust interference into breach of fiduciary duty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luna sat down.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, she looked overwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p>Adam crouched beside her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stared at the device in the technician\u2019s evidence bag.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father trusted Nolan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI trusted Nolan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat if Derek has everything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam took her hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we stop worrying about what he has and start proving how he got it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need you both to see something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He opened a preliminary data report.<\/p>\n<p>The keystroke logger had stored some information locally before transmitting it.<\/p>\n<p>Most was encrypted.<\/p>\n<p>One fragment was readable.<\/p>\n<p>A date.<\/p>\n<p>A file name.<\/p>\n<p>And a note.<\/p>\n<p>HB ACCOUNT \u2013 BENNETT CANDIDATE APPROVED.<\/p>\n<p>Adam stared.<\/p>\n<p>His own last name.<\/p>\n<p>Timestamped five months ago.<\/p>\n<p>He turned toward Luna.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was before you asked me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hadn\u2019t chosen you five months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen who did?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No one spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Reyes enlarged the text.<\/p>\n<p>A second line appeared below.<\/p>\n<p>PRIORITIZE BENNETT IF FINANCIAL PRESSURE INCREASES.<\/p>\n<p>Adam felt the blood leave his face.<\/p>\n<p>Luna stood so quickly the chair hit the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice cracked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam knew.<\/p>\n<p>The wording was wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Too clinical.<\/p>\n<p>Too cruel even for the investigation she had ordered.<\/p>\n<p>He stared at his name.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had identified him before Luna had.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had tracked his debt.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had wanted him placed in her path.<\/p>\n<p>Adam looked at Luna.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDerek didn\u2019t just discover our marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She understood before he finished.<\/p>\n<p>Her face went white.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe may have helped create it.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=6175\">Click here to continue reading: PART 7: The File Bearing My Name Proved I Was Never a Random Choice, and Luna Learned Her Brother Had Engineered Our Meeting From the Beginning<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luna did not sleep. At five thirty in the morning, Adam found her in the kitchen wearing yesterday\u2019s clothes and staring at a mug of coffee she had forgotten to &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6194,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6174\/revisions\/6194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}