Chapter 13
In the hospital ward, Callie gnawed at her fingers and was completely unaware she had bitten so deeply that her skin and flesh were raw and bloody.
Barefoot, she crept to the door and scanned the bodyguards standing at the ready. After shuffling back to the bed, she tapped her fingers restlessly against the bed rail, creating a chaotic rhythm in the ward.
She had been locked here for a week. The windows and doors were sealed shut, and the guards stood at her door 24/7. Her phone had long been confiscated, and the TV in the ward wasn’t connected to a signal.
It was no different from an isolated island.
The rain outside had stopped, but her heart felt gloomier than the storm.
Suddenly, she heard a nurse’s voice. Damien was worried that she’d take her life in the hospital and had nurses check on her daily. But this couldn’t go on. She wouldn’t stay locked in here!
There was a knock at the door before a voice announced, “Ms. Frost, I’m coming in now.”
Callie instantly burrowed under the blanket and listened to the nurse’s footsteps draw closer.
“It’s time for your medicine, Ms. Frost.” There was a soft thud as a bottle of pills was placed
on the bedside table.
Callie peeked out from under the blanket and gave the nurse a frail smile. “Could you get me a bottle of water?”
The moment the nurse turned away, her hand darted into the nurse’s pocket, fishing out her phone. Callie quickly hid it under the pillow. Then, she kept a straight face as she allowed the nurse to finish the check-up and leave.
Once the door clicked shut, she dove back under the blanket and dialed a number she knew by
heart.
“Kieran, how much longer do you expect me to wait? Damien has had me locked up for a week now, and I haven’t seen him anywhere!” she hissed.
There was a soft laugh on the other end of the line. “Relax. I got the financial records today, and tomorrow, someone will expose the news about Kane Group’s falsified accounts. Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of there soon enough.”
Callie’s nails dug deep into her palms, and her voice was full of venomous hatred as she snarled. “You’d better keep your word. After what he did to me, I want him ruined and
destroyed.”
Kieran’s deep voice buzzed through the speaker, cackling with static. His chuckle sounded confident and dark as he said, “With the files you gave me, this is no different from child’s play.”
After ending their conversation, Callie quickly deleted the call record, powered off the phone, and hid it in a narrow gap between the bedside table and the wall.
Moonlight spilled through a slit in the curtains and shone on the twisted grin on her face.
By dawn the next day, the entire financial sector was in an uproar.
“Kane Group Suspected of Falsifying Accounts; Stock Plummets by 20%.”
Similar headlines covered every major platform.
Kane Group’s board of directors held an emergency meeting and demanded that Damien give them an explanation right away.
The shareholders’ angry voices raged on in the conference room of Kane Group.
A hot-tempered board director slammed a hand on the table and was the first to speak. ” What’s going on, Mr. Kane?”
Another director, Jonathan Whitmore, cut in, “The cause doesn’t matter anymore. If this is true, we demand that you immediately open the books for an independent audit!”
“If it’s true, there’s no point auditing anymore! Damien has to resign!”
Damien’s expression was stone-cold as he scrolled the screen and skimmed through the files on his tablet. Every page was stamped with Kane Group’s seal and listed with detailed data. Only a handful of people had access to such confidential files.
The argument around him continued as his eyes locked on one page. Every page bore his signature at the bottom corner, except this one. This page had been signed by Callie and had the familiar, upward hook in the final stroke.
A memory of when Damien used to teach her how to sign his name in the office surfaced.
“Look, Damien. Does it look like yours?”
“It does. Looks perfect.”
Back then, he laughed and wrapped her in his arms, teasing her about the upward stroke. He never imagined that she’d one day use it to bury a knife in his back.
“So, that’s how it is…” Damien sneered and slammed the tablet on the table. “Give me three
days. I swear that I’ll bring you all the truth.”
Henry watched the same news about Kane Group in his office.
“Today, Kane Group was placed under investigation by the Securities Commission for suspected financial fraud. Following the announcement, Kane Group’s stock plunged at opening with a drop of 20%. They’ve since garnered widespread attention…”
He switched off the TV expressionlessly and picked up his phone to dial a number.
