Chapter 5 - The Ultimatum
Claire waited in the car for what felt like an eternity.
Twenty minutes had passed since Harris walked into the bank.
Lily had fallen back asleep in the backseat.
Claire chewed on her bottom lip until she tasted copper.
Suddenly, the bank doors slid open.
Harris walked out briskly.
He wasn't running, but his stride was intensely purposeful.
He reached the car and tapped the window.
Claire rolled it down.
Harris dropped a small, silver flash drive into her hand.
"Is this it?" he asked.
Claire closed her fist around the cold metal.
"Yes."
"I told the manager I was confiscating it as evidence."
"Did he believe you?"
"He didn't ask questions. He's terrified of the Harrows."
"Thank you, Harris."
"Don't thank me. Just drive."
"Where do I go?"
"Anywhere but here."
Harris turned and walked away toward his own truck.
Claire immediately rolled up the window.
She tucked the flash drive safely into her bra.
She turned the key in the ignition.
Before she could shift into drive, her car’s Bluetooth system chimed loudly.
An incoming call was flashing on the dashboard screen.
The caller ID said "Unknown."
Claire hesitated.
She knew she shouldn't answer.
But a sick feeling in her gut told her she had to.
She pressed the accept button on the steering wheel.
"Hello?"
"You are making things very difficult, Claire."
It was Evelyn Harrow.
Her voice was crisp, clear, and dripping with authority.
"How did you get this number?" Claire demanded.
"I own the telecommunications company that provides your service."
"What do you want, Evelyn?"
"I want to offer you a way out."
Claire let out a bitter, humorless laugh.
"A way out? You froze my accounts."
"A temporary measure to ensure you didn't do anything rash."
"You called CPS on me!"
"I am simply concerned for my granddaughter's welfare."
"You don't care about Lily."
"I care about the Harrow name."
"Lily is a person, not a brand."
There was a brief pause on the line.
"Let us drop the theatrics, Claire."
"I'm listening."
"I will wire five million dollars to an offshore account of your choosing."
Claire’s breath hitched in her throat.
"Five million?"
"Tax-free."
"And in exchange?"
"You sign over full legal and physical custody of Lily to me."
The silence in the car was deafening.
Claire looked at her beautiful, sleeping daughter in the rearview mirror.
"You want me to sell my child to you?"
"I want you to secure her future."
"Her future is with her mother."
"Her future with you involves poverty and court battles."
"I have the hard drive, Evelyn."
The line went dead quiet.
For ten agonizing seconds, neither woman spoke.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Evelyn finally said.
Her voice lacked its usual iron confidence.
"Thomas’s files," Claire said slowly.
"The offshore accounts. The shell corporations."
"Lies."
"The bribes to the safety inspectors before the factory collapse."
"You are bluffing."
"I have the audio recordings, Evelyn."
Claire could hear Evelyn’s sharp intake of breath.
"Thomas backed them up on a physical drive," Claire continued.
"If you ever come near my daughter again, I give it to the FBI."
"You would destroy this family."
"You destroyed this family when you killed my husband."
"It was an accident!" Evelyn screamed, her composure finally shattering.
"We'll let a jury decide that."
"Claire, listen to me..."
"No, you listen to me."
Claire gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"Unfreeze my accounts by noon."
"I can't just..."
"By noon, Evelyn. Or the files go to the New York Times."
"You are making a fatal mistake."
"The only mistake I made was letting you near my child."
Claire reached forward and disconnected the call.
Her hands were shaking so violently she could barely hold the steering wheel.
She had just declared war on a billionaire.
She looked down at her lap.
The thick envelope of cash sat there, a stark reminder of her reality.
She put the car in drive.
She pulled out of the bank parking lot and merged onto the highway.
She didn't know where she was going.
May you like
She only knew that she had to keep moving.
The game had completely changed.
