Hailey's POV:
I lay face-down on a padded massage table, the tension in my muscles melting away under the masseuse's expert hands. A warm ocean breeze swept across the private terrace of my island retreat, carrying the scent of salt.
My loyal bodyguard, dressed in a crisp white linen suit, stepped onto the terrace holding a secure phone.
"Excuse me, Donna Hailey," the guard said, respectfully averting his eyes. "It's Detective Miller from the Financial Crimes Unit. He says it's urgent."
I lifted my head from the face cradle. "Hand it over."
I pressed the phone to my ear. "This is Hailey."
"Mrs. Dorsey," the detective said, his tone professional but edged with tension. "We currently have Jackson Dorsey in custody. Apparently, he just got back into the city after a forty-hour Greyhound bus ride and went straight to the First National Private Bank, trying to forcefully bypass the electronic vault. He claimed he had account authorization through marriage."
"He is my soon-to-be ex-husband," I said, my voice perfectly level. "All of those funds are held in a pre-nuptial offshore trust. He has absolutely no legal authority to touch that money."
The detective cleared his throat. "Do you want to press charges?"
"Absolutely," I answered without hesitation. "File it as an attempted felony grand larceny. And Detective?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Please remind Mr. Dorsey that the Syndicate is a business, and he is nothing but a fired CEO who lost his keycard."
I handed the phone back to my bodyguard, who then placed a thick manila folder on the small side table next to me.
"The latest dossier from the private investigators," the guard said.
I opened the folder.
The first page contained surveillance photos taken 48 hours ago, showing Jackson, Cornelia, and Amber standing in the parking lot of a dilapidated motel off Interstate 70. They looked utterly destitute.
One photo showed Cornelia sitting on a cracked concrete curb, eating a cheap plastic-wrapped sandwich from a convenience store.
Another photo captured Amber screaming at Jackson, her face red and contorted with rage.
I flipped to the written report.
The investigator noted that Amber had tried to pawn my custom pearl necklace at a local pawnshop. The owner, seeing her disheveled appearance and erratic behavior, assumed the pearls were cheap plastic knock-offs. He offered her ten dollars, which sent Amber into a furious rage before she stormed out.
A cold smirk touched my lips as I savored the irony.
My laptop chimed from a nearby patio table. It was an encrypted video call request from an unknown server.
I wrapped myself in a plush white robe, walked over to the table, and hit the button to accept the call.
The screen flickered, revealing a man with a razor-sharp jawline and dark, calculating eyes. He was sitting in a dimly lit office, a suit of 15th-century black plate armor standing behind him like a silent, imposing sentinel.
I recognized him instantly.
Don Kane. Boss of the Blood River Syndicate, a family notorious for their brutal efficiency and massive territory in the South.
"Donna Hailey," Kane said, his voice deep and gravelly. "I hear the Dorsey name is currently buried under six feet of debt."
"News travels fast," I replied, crossing my arms. "What do you want, Kane?"
"My underboss took three bullets to the chest last night," Kane said, leaning forward, his eyes piercing. "Hospitals will ask too many questions. I need your medical network. I need your underground surgeons to save him."
I tapped my fingers against my arm. "My services come at a steep price."
"I don't care about the cost," Kane said. "Save my man, and I'd like to invite you to a private dinner. I believe an alliance between us could be... highly profitable."
I held his intense gaze. He was a true leader, a man who understood the value of power and competence.
"Have your men drop him off at the 5th Street warehouse," I said. "My team will be waiting. I'll see you at dinner."
Without waiting for his reply, I snapped the laptop shut. I turned my eyes back to the glittering blue ocean, picked up the spa menu off the table, and booked a three-hour "Rejuvenation Journey" package.
