Chapter thirty:《Confronting the Antagonist》

Facing the Wicked Adversary

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, darling," Julian Thorne purred, his entrance as dramatic as a soap opera villain.

 He sauntered into the room, all sharp angles and expensive tailoring, a smirk plastered on his face.

 Cassandra, who moments before had been cornered like a rat, visibly relaxed, preening under his gaze.

Ethan's jaw tightened.

He hadn't expected Thorne's involvement to be so blatant.

 "Thorne," he growled, the name tasting like ash in his mouth.

"Ethan, darling," Thorne replied, his voice dripping with false cordiality.

 He completely ignored Violet, a calculated slight that made Ethan's blood boil.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?

"

Violet, however, remained unfazed.

 She calmly placed a folder on the table between them, the crisp slap of paper against polished wood echoing in the sudden silence.

 "We have evidence of your illegal activities, Mr.

Thorne," she stated, her voice level and clear.

Thorne's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, quickly replaced by a mask of amused disdain.

 "Evidence?

My dear girl, you wouldn't know evidence if it slapped you in the face.

" He gestured dismissively at the folder.

 "What's this, a collection of doodles?"

Violet's lips curved into a small, knowing smile.

 "These 'doodles,' as you call them, detail your involvement in the shipping discrepancies, including forged signatures, altered manifests, and a rather interesting paper trail leading directly to your offshore accounts.

"

She opened the folder, pulling out a document.

 "For example, this bill of lading for the shipment on March 12th.

Notice anything peculiar, Mr.

Thorne?

" She pointed to a barely perceptible smudge.

"This, under microscopic analysis, revealed traces of graphite over ink.

 Someone altered the destination port after the document was signed.

 And guess whose fingerprints were found on the graphite?

"

Thorne's face paled, the amused mask cracking.

 He shot a venomous glare at Cassandra, who shrank back under his gaze.

 "This is absurd!

" he blustered.

"A fabrication!

"

Violet pulled out another document.

 "And this, Mr.

Thorne, is a record of a wire transfer from your shell corporation to the port authority official who conveniently 'misplaced' the original bill of lading.

 Quite the coincidence, wouldn't you say?

"

With each piece of evidence Violet presented, Thorne's bluster diminished, replaced by a growing unease.

He glanced nervously towards the door, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.

 He hadn't anticipated Violet's meticulous preparation, her ironclad logic.

He'd underestimated her, dismissing her as a mere housewife.

A mistake he was now starting to regret.

Seeing Thorne's rising panic, Violet pressed her advantage.

 "We have more, Mr.

Thorne.

 Enough to put you away for a very long time.

" Her voice was soft, almost gentle, but the underlying steel was unmistakable.

Thorne's composure finally shattered.

 He lunged for the door, yelling, "Get them!"

Suddenly, the room was swarming with men in black suits, their movements swift and coordinated.

 Ethan, anticipating something like this, reacted instantly.

He grabbed Violet's hand, pulling her behind him, his other hand reaching inside his jacket.

 "I've already contacted the police," he said, his voice low and urgent.

"They're on their way."

The fight was swift and brutal.

 Ethan, trained in self-defense, moved with surprising agility, taking down two of the goons before they could even react.

 Violet, despite her seemingly delicate appearance, wasn't defenseless.

She used her knowledge of pressure points to incapacitate another attacker, her movements precise and effective.

The arrival of the police sirens cut through the chaos.

 The remaining men hesitated, their bravado evaporating as the sound grew closer.

 Thorne, seeing his escape route cut off, looked like a trapped animal, his eyes darting wildly around the room.

As the police stormed the building, apprehending Thorne and his men, Ethan picked up a discarded phone from one of the downed attackers.

A quick glance at the screen revealed a partially composed message, addressed to someone simply identified as "The Boss." The content of the message sent a chill down his spine.

It mentioned a plan to…

"Violet," Ethan said, his voice barely a whisper, "I think we've just stumbled onto something much bigger." He showed her the phone.