Chapter 509

Chapter 509:
“I haven’t looked yet,” Stella said, wiping her forehead. “I was cleaning.”
William gave a small nod. “That’s why I’m here. Let’s go through it together.”
She paused, then stepped aside to let him in.
Stella pulled the USB from her bag and handed it over. “You start looking. I’m going to finish cleaning the bedroom.”
William plugged it into the laptop and got to work while she went back to cleaning the bedroom.
She wanted the place spotless since she’d be staying there for a while. Half an hour later, she walked back in and found William still glued to the screen.
“Found anything good?” she asked.
William didn’t even look up. “Yeah. A ton.”
He turned the screen toward her, showing a long list of flagged files.
Stella leaned in, reading line by line—and with every document, her eyes grew wider.
Stella exclaimed, “Shaun’s really tied to Haley!”
Haley was born and raised in Achury. Even though she was mixed, she’d been raised strictly Achury-style. Basically, the only real link she had in Choria was Shaun’s family—and she’d known Shaun since forever.
“Beatrice’s related to the Smiths, right? So does that mean Haley and Shaun are family too?”
William nodded. “Yeah. Looks like Haley’s actually Shaun’s cousin.”
No wonder Stella had seen the two of them meeting on the street that day—it wasn’t some random run-in.
After combing through the files, William crossed his arms and looked at Stella. “So… got a plan for what to do next?”
The evidence was all there—every shady move Shaun had made, clear as day. Even Nixon was one of his people from the very start.
It finally clicked for Stella; Nixon had been putting on a show since day one, pretending to be his own man when he’d been Shaun’s pawn all along. And now she knew why Haley had insisted Nixon wasn’t the real mastermind—Shaun was protecting his cash cow. Nixon brought in huge profits for the Smith Group. Shaun needed him alive.
Explore new chapters gⱯlησν𝓮ℓs․com
Looking at the full picture now, Stella realized Shaun had been eyeing her tech from the very beginning. From the moment they met, he’d been playing her.
The way he used to call her Syl suddenly made her skin crawl.
“Shaun’s always played the charming, polished guy in public. He’s worked hard to build that image. If people find out who he really is, it’ll destroy him.” And that was exactly how Stella planned to hit back.
“Then let’s do it,” William said. “If that’s what you want, I’ll help you get the word out. The evidence speaks for itself.”
“Thanks,” Stella said. “But will it be enough to actually lock up Shaun and Nixon?”
William’s expression tightened. “The Smith family’s got serious pull. It might not…”
“Land them in prison… but it’ll definitely wreck their reputation.”
Stella exhaled slowly. The fight wasn’t over—not even close.
.
.
.