Chapter 14 - The Counter-Strike
By 6:00 AM, the rain had stopped, leaving the meadow glistening under a cool morning mist.
In the study, the captured investigator sat handcuffed to a chair under the watch of Rowan’s legal team and local Sheriff deputies who were untainted by the Nashville syndicate.
On the table lay the contents of the investigator's black bag: encrypted thumb drives containing pre-written fake ledgers designed to frame the Celeste Bellamy Foundation for international money laundering.
"Who paid you to plant this?" Rowan asked, leaning over the table, his face inches from the investigator.
"I don't know names!" the investigator stammered, terrified by the overwhelming evidence stacked against him. "It came from Arthur Harrison Jr.! He promised prosecutor Vance a judgeship if she brought criminal charges against your foundation!"
Megan walked into the room, holding a tablet displaying live news feeds.
"Rowan," she said calmly, her voice filled with quiet power. "The press conference is live in ten minutes. Marcus Vance from the Pacific Northwest Authority and our national legal partners are standing by on video feed."
Rowan looked at the investigator one last time.
"You tried to ruin a foundation that shelters abused mothers and orphaned children," Rowan said coldly. "Now watch how fast your empire turns to ash."
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At 8:00 AM, Rowan and Megan held a live, unannounced global press conference directly from the front porch of the farmhouse. With national news crews broadcasting live, Rowan released the full video footage of the DA’s investigator planting fake evidence, along with recorded wiretaps exposing Arthur Harrison Jr.’s bribery ring.
The public reaction was immediate and explosive.
