Chapter 29 - The Summons
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The invitation arrived on thick, cream-colored cardstock, hand-delivered to the Hartwell Logistics front desk by a silent courier. Evelyn opened it in her office, Julia Chen watching from the doorway. It was not a legal document or a corporate summons. It was an invitation to the annual Apex Capital Charity Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Scrawled across the bottom in sharp, aggressive handwriting were four words: Let us discuss terms.
“It’s a trap,” Julia said immediately. “Thorne knows you have David. He knows the FBI is decrypting the ledger. He is trying to get you in a room filled with his allies to force a settlement.”
“I know,” Evelyn said, slipping the card back into its envelope.
“You aren’t seriously considering going,” Julia pressed, stepping into the room. “Evelyn, this man just sent mercenaries to a botanical garden to silence a whistleblower. If you walk into his gala, you are walking into the center of his power.”
“That is exactly why I have to go,” Evelyn replied, her voice calm. “Thorne relies on the illusion of invulnerability. He surrounds himself with high society, charity boards, and politicians. He uses them as a human shield. He expects me to be intimidated by the venue.”
“And you aren’t?”
Evelyn smiled, a small, cold expression. “I spent ten years married to Nathan Grant. I know exactly how to behave at a gala hosted by a monster.”
She picked up her phone and dialed Miriam.
“Miriam,” Evelyn said when the lawyer answered. “I need you to draft a cease-and-desist regarding the hostile takeover. Make it aggressive. Make it look desperate. I want Thorne to think we are out of options.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Evelyn,” Miriam warned.
“I need him arrogant,” Evelyn insisted. “When a man like Thorne believes he has already won, he stops checking his blind spots. I will meet him at the gala tomorrow night. Have Agent Keene position her team outside the museum.”
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“What are you going to do?” Julia asked as Evelyn hung up the phone.
Evelyn looked out the window, at the city skyline that she and her father had helped build. “I am going to let him talk. And then I am going to tear down his room.”
