Chapter 4

Victor's words shot straight to my temple, sharp as a bullet.

That account was under my name? My mind went completely blank. For a few seconds, I couldn't make sense of his words at all.

What account? An account in my name? When did I ever open an offshore account?

I stared at Victor, trying to find any trace of a joke in those unfathomable eyes of his. But I found nothing.

He watched me calmly, his gaze both teasing and probing, as if he was admiring a piece of art he'd created himself.

That was impossible. I was a regular office worker. I worked nine to five, same routine every day, home, office, repeat. My bank balance had never hit three thousand.

How could I ever have an offshore account loaded with cash? This had to be a mistake.

"I don't get what you're saying." My throat felt scratchy as I finally spoke. "I don't have any offshore accounts."

Victor smiled. He took a laptop from one of his men and placed it right in front of me.

The screen displayed a bank website's login page. Victor's fingers danced across the keyboard.

The screen changed. Rows of numbers and details popped up on the screen, clear as day.

The account holder was me, and right underneath, there was my passport number and my passport scanned right there.

The account balance showed so many zeros that it nearly knocked me out. It was tens of millions in total.

My breath froze. It was like an icy hand had gripped my heart, squeezing so tightly that I thought it might stop beating.

What Victor had said was real.

David, my husband, used my personal information to open an account I never knew existed. And then he laundered a sum so huge into it that I could spend the rest of my life behind bars.

What did he do? What exactly had he done? He was taking me down with him.

An uncontrollable chill shot up from my feet all the way to my skull. It was like my blood turned to ice right then and there.

I turned my head slowly, and my gaze fell on the man dumped in the corner, looking like a discarded mess.

That was my husband, the man I once believed would be my partner through thick and thin, the one I thought I'd grow old beside.

Right now, he was lying there, completely out cold. But in my eyes, he'd turned into the ugliest, most venomous monster I'd ever seen.

He dragged me out of that crime scene, not to save me. He did it to save himself, to keep the one who could work the account for him.

What a joke. The irony was almost too much.

I couldn't believe I was still clinging to some hope for him, and I was torn over that damn missing button.

Now, it all became painfully clear. All the doubts I had finally had answers.

He didn't mistake the voice. He knew everything from the start. He might be one of the masterminds behind it all.

I looked back at Victor, my face presumably devoid of any expression.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice surprisingly calm.

Victor raised an eyebrow, clearly pleased with my reaction. "It's simple. I want money. David set up multi-factor authentication for this account. Besides the password, it also needs your iris scan and fingerprint."

"But the most critical step? You have to personally answer some security questions over a video call. And only you know the answers to those questions."

It all clicked in an instant.

David really thought of everything. He used my identity to build an unbreakable barrier that no one else could get past but me.

Questions only I would know the answers to? Questions like what? Where did we have our first date? My favorite movie? My mom's birthday?

All those memories that used to feel sweet were nothing but shackles locked around me.

"So, you need me to play along," I said.

"No, not cooperate," Victor cut in. "We're working together."

He took a step closer, his tall frame looming over me. "Riley, you're a smart woman. You should know exactly what kind of situation you're in.

"This account's in your name. Once the cops catch wind of it, you'll be their prime suspect for money laundering. And this money? It's connected to eleven murders.

"Take a wild guess. What do you think your fate will be?"

His voice was quiet, but every word landed like a hammer blow, pounding my heart again and again.

Yeah, he was right. I had no other choice.

I could either go along with them and become an accomplice, trapped in a nightmare with no tomorrow. Or they'd get rid of me, or toss me to the cops as a doomed scapegoat.

In that moment, my life was dragged straight into the abyss, and there was no turning back.

I looked at Victor and cracked a sudden smile. "Alright, we can work together. But what's in it for me?"

Victor was caught off guard. The two guys in black behind him were stunned, too.

They probably hadn't ever seen a hostage dare to negotiate terms with their kidnappers.

Victor's eyes grew sharp at once. He stared at me for what felt like half a minute, then he broke into a smile, slow and meaningful.

"Interesting," Victor said. "So, what do you want? Forget about getting a cut of the money."

"I want him." I pointed straight at David, still knocked out cold in the corner. "When this is over, you hand him to me. He's mine to deal with. I want to take him out myself."

The air went dead silent.

Victor's smile slowly faded.

He looked at me. Gone was the teasing, replaced by a real, level stare, like he was sizing me up with genuine respect.

"Deal," he said. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Harper."