Chapter 2 A serious accusations

I didn't even hear the knock. Just the familiar creak of my office door and the thud of sneakers on hardwood. Only one person entered my office like it belonged to him.

Shane. My younger brother.

"Still dressing like the poster boy for courtroom warfare," he said, his eyes scanning my suit, my half-drained scotch.

I leaned back in my chair, too tired to smile. "Still dressing like an unpaid intern."

"Funny." He plopped down across from me, leaned forward, elbows on knees. "So, big win today."

"Yeah."

"That doesn't sound like someone who just made a predator eat his teeth in court."

I sighed and let the silence settle. But Shane knew me too well. Always had.

He looked at me for a long moment. "Did something happen, sis?"

I didn't answer.

"Paisley?"

I slowly lifted my head to meet his gaze. "He was here."

Shane furrowed in confusion. "Who was here?"

I gulped harder and muttered, "Stephan Lautner."

"Tell me you're joking."

Shane sat there in my office like a storm waiting to break, his brows knit in disbelief.

"I'm not," I said, watching liquor in my glass. "He walked in here like he owned the place. Just... dropped an offer."

Stephan Lautner. Just saying his name out loud left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Offer? What offer?"

"He wants me to save Laveldi," I replied coolly.

Shane scoffed, arching a brow. "Paisley, you cannot be serious. The Lautners? After everything they did to Dad?"

"I haven't agreed to anything," I lied, a little too quickly.

He leaned in and pinned me with that look-kid brother mode fully activated. Protective, fierce, annoyingly perceptive.

"But you're considering it," he said like he had just read my mind.

I looked away, but my silence was answer enough.

"God, Paisley." He stood abruptly and ran a hand through his thick hair. "You're too smart to fall for this. Revenge and justice... they're not the same thing. You can't walk into Laveldi thinking you'll do one without ending up poisoned by the other."

"It's not about revenge," I said, standing now, hands flat on my desk. "It's about the truth. If something shady is happening inside Laveldi, I want to be the one who exposes it. Not for revenge-for justice. For Dad."

Shane's jaw clenched. "And what about Mom? What about Dad, now? You think either of them would be proud if they knew you were teaming up with the same people who destroyed us?"

That hit harder than I expected.

I softened, but I didn't back down. "I'm not teaming up with them. I'm investigating them. There's a difference."

"You really believe Stephan's just handing you the keys out of guilt?"

"No. I believe he's desperate. And that makes him honest, at least for now."

He looked at me for a long beat, eyes searching. Then he shook his head slowly. "You're playing with fire, Pais. And you're doing it alone."

"I've always been alone in this fight."

"That's not true."

I looked at him, and my voice lowered. "Isn't it? All these years, everyone wanted me to move on. Pretend that what happened to Dad didn't matter. That we could just let it go and be normal. But I never forgot."

Shane exhaled, dropping back into the chair opposite me. "I know you didn't. None of us did. But don't let that need for justice turn you into something you're not."

"I won't," I said firmly. "But I have to do this."

He stared at me in silence for a moment. "You've made up your mind, haven't you?"

Have I? I wasn't even sure I wanted to proceed with accepting Stephan's offer. But what if I did? What if...

"I see. Your silence speaks volume," Shane finally spoke again, breaking through my thoughts. "Do what suits you. I'm out of here."

He turned around and headed for the door.

"Shane, don't be like that," I called out, standing to go after him, but it was too late because he slammed the door so hard that it shook my every being. That brat with his anger issues.

After Shane left, the silence pressed in again, heavier than before. I sank back into my chair and exhaled sharply. I swiveled my chair toward the city skyline and let my thoughts unravel.

The image came back like a scar remembering how it got there-Dad, standing in that boardroom, fists clenched, voice shaking with fury and disbelief. His empire stolen in real-time. And Emily Lautner, cold as frost, watching with satisfaction while her husband played executioner.

I was just a kid, but I knew betrayal when I saw it.

And Stephan?

He'd been there too-fifteen, smug, handsome in that boyish, cocky way that made girls blush and me bristle. I remembered him sneaking extra desserts at galas, grinning like rules didn't apply to him. I remembered thinking he'd grow up to be just like his father.

And maybe he did.

But now he was the one asking for help. Coming to me, the daughter of the man they crushed. Funny how time turned the tables.

Still, I couldn't shake the unease in my chest.

Should I risk it all? I mean, if you never try, you never know.

With another heavy sigh, I picked up my scorch and had a long sip of it.

***

Three days later, I met Stephan again.

Laveldi's downtown tower loomed over the city like it had something to prove. I didn't go inside. We met at a neutral site-my choice-an upscale café with glass walls and good acoustics. If he tried anything shady, at least I'd have witnesses.

He was already there when I arrived, seated in a corner booth, sleeves rolled, jaw tight. A little less polished this time. A little more human.

I slid into the booth across from him, calm and cold.

"I'm not here to play games," I said. "If I do this, I do it my way. Full access to everything-emails, board meeting recordings, financials. No restrictions."

"Done," he said without blinking.

"And I work alone. You don't interfere, you don't check in, and you definitely don't try to manage me."

"Fair."

"And if I find something illegal," I added, leaning in, "I blow the whole damn thing up. I don't care who gets caught in the flames."

His jaw ticked. "Even me?"

"Especially you."

For a second, I thought he might pull back. But instead, he reached into his blazer and slid an envelope across the table.

"Everything you need to get started. Credentials. Access codes. Laveldi's internal server. It's all there."

I didn't touch it yet. "Why me, Stephan?"

His eyes met mine, silver and tired. "Because I don't trust anyone else."

I narrowed my gaze. "You shouldn't trust me either."

He almost smiled. "I know." He took a sip of his coffee. "But you're worth the risk."

I stiffen in my seat. I'm worth the risk? Was he just saying this to make me feel at ease?

Stephan slowly set his cup down and lean closer. "I'm counting on you, Paisley."

And with that, he left.

I sat there for what felt like eternity, replaying his words before I finally returned to my office.

Back in my office, I locked the door, drew the blinds, and opened the envelope.

Inside was a tablet with Laveldi's secure server preloaded, and a note in Stephan's slanted handwriting: Dig deep. I've got nothing to hide.

I powered it on.

The system was vast-folders upon folders, dating back years. Financial statements, employee files, private memos. It would take days to sift through it all, but I knew where to start. The expense reports.

If someone was bleeding the company from the inside, the money trail would lead me there.

Click. Scroll. Click.

Then I paused.

There it was. Hidden in a budget summary under a project name I didn't recognize.

Operation Cloverleaf.

The phrase chilled me.

No description. No assigned personnel. Just a code name buried in a list of expenses-tens of thousands of dollars marked as "strategic compliance initiatives."

My gut twisted. Something about it felt... off. Wrong.

And very familiar.

I leaned back, heart thudding. Whatever Operation Cloverleaf was, it wasn't just some internal project.

It was a secret someone didn't want found.

And now?

Now I was going to uncover every inch of it.