Chapter 391:
A hysterical laugh bubbled up in Jennifer’s throat.
“Soup,” she wheezed. “I ruined my life for soup.”
“It’s a very good soup,” Aurora said. “Good for the soul. Maybe you should learn to make it.”
With that, she walked out, leaving Jennifer alone with her inventory and her regrets.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Jennifer didn’t join them. She stayed in her room, waiting for the clock to strike eight.
In the dining room, the atmosphere was tense. Cecelia picked at her risotto, her eyes darting to the empty chair where Jennifer usually sat to keep her company.
“Is she gone?” Cecelia asked softly.
Aurora cut her steak with surgical precision. “Not yet. Marcus is prepping the car.”
“I should see her,” Cecelia said. “I should say something.”
“No, Aunt,” Aurora said firmly. “She compromised your safety. She compromised the family. She is leaving with her life and her freedom. That is more mercy than she deserves.”
“She was family,” Cecelia whispered.
“She was an employee who forgot her place,” Elias said from the doorway. He walked in, holding a tablet. “And she was a liability.”
Cecelia sighed, dropping her fork. “You two… you are so hard. So cold.”
“We have to be,” Aurora said, reaching across the table to squeeze Cecelia’s hand. “To keep you warm.”
Elias placed the tablet on the table. “We have confirmation. The courier has transmitted the file to Smith’s secure server. The bait is taken.”
“And the money?” Aurora asked.
“Transferred,” Elias said. “We tracked the origin account. It’s a shell company in the Caymans, but the routing number bounces back to a holding firm in London.”
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“The routing number matches the one George identified,” Aurora said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the screen. “Blue Lily Ventures.”
“Just as we suspected,” Elias noted, tapping the glass surface of the tablet.
“Then George was right all along,” Cecelia said, her voice trembling slightly. “Eleanor was using that company to pay for her crimes.”
“It means we have the smoking gun,” Aurora said, her voice firm. “Proof that Eleanor is funding Smith. Proof that she is paying for the theft of our technology.”
Just then, the sound of a car engine starting echoed from the back of the house.
Jennifer Evans was leaving.
Cecelia wheeled herself to the window. She pulled back the heavy curtain just in time to see the black SUV pulling away, its taillights fading into the darkness.
“Goodbye, Jennifer,” Cecelia whispered.
Aurora stood up and walked to the window, standing behind Cecelia like a sentinel.
“She’ll be safe, Aunt,” Aurora promised. “She gets a fresh start. Which is more than she gave you when she let Smith poison Julian Sterling.”
Cecelia stiffened. “She didn’t know about the poison.”
“She suspected,” Aurora corrected. “And she stayed silent. That is her burden to carry.”
Elias checked his watch. “Phase one is complete. The traitor is gone. The enemy is distracted with fake data. Now, we move to Phase Two.”
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