Chapter 5 - The Confrontation at the Cafe
The next morning, Daniel and Vanessa met at a high-end cafe downtown, celebrating their perceived victory. The $250,000 was securely in Vanessa's account. They were ordering expensive mimosas, laughing about how they had outsmarted Claire.
"To new beginnings," Vanessa said, clinking her glass against Daniel's.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
Daniel froze. The mimosas went cold in their hands.
Claire was standing at the edge of their table. She wore a tailored charcoal suit, her hair pulled back neatly, revealing the stark white bandage on her jaw line. She didn't look broken; she looked regal. Behind her stood two tall men in dark suits.
"Claire," Daniel gasped, his face draining of color. "What are you doing here? You have a restraining order against me!"
"Correction, Daniel. You have a restraining order keeping you away from me and my properties. I can walk anywhere I please," Claire said, her voice cutting through the cafe noise like a diamond through glass.
Vanessa sneered, trying to hide her panic. "You think you're smart, Claire? You can keep the house. We have our own money now."
"You mean the two hundred and fifty thousand dollars Daniel stole from Vance Financial forty-five minutes ago?" Claire asked, leaning down slightly, placing both hands on the table.
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Daniel’s eyes widened. "How did you—"
"My father built that company, Daniel. Every single line of code in that system reports to me," Claire whispered. "I let you take it. Because I wanted to make sure you never, ever get out of prison."
