Chapter 8 - Justice Delivered
The arrest of Richard Harmon and Bradley Vance made front-page news across Wall Street by noon.
Financial news networks broadcast live footage of the disgraced executives being escorted out of the Mercer Global tower in handcuffs by federal agents. The story of the courageous whistleblower who uncovered a fifty-million-dollar fraud scheme spread like wildfire.
Inside Ethan's private office, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful.
Clara stood by the window, watching the news vans packed along the street below. Her phone was buzzing relentlessly—not with overdue bills or threats, but with interview requests, apologies from former colleagues, and job offers from top financial firms across the country.
Ethan walked up behind her, holding two glasses of sparkling apple cider.
"You did it, Clara," he said gently, handing her a glass. "You cleared your name. The SEC is issuing a formal commendation, and under federal whistleblower laws, you are entitled to fifteen percent of the recovered funds."
Clara looked at him, stunned. "Fifteen percent? That's... millions of dollars."
"It’s what you earned," Ethan said, clinking his glass against hers. "You saved my firm over fifteen billion dollars. You're a hero, Clara."
Clara set her glass down on the window ledge. The weight she had been carrying for months—the shame, the fear, the crushing anxiety of poverty—seemed to evaporate into the thin air of the penthouse.
"I couldn't have done it without you, Ethan," she said, her voice soft. "If you hadn't showed up at midnight..."
"If I hadn't showed up," Ethan corrected her, "I would still be sitting in an empty apartment, drinking expensive champagne alone, wondering why my life felt so meaningless."
He stepped closer, taking her hands in his.
"The job offers you're receiving," Ethan said, looking down into her eyes, his pulse quickening. "Are you going to take one of them?"
Clara looked up at him, a mischievous spark in her dark eyes. "Well, that depends. Does Mercer Global have any openings for a Head of Internal Ethics and Auditing?"
Ethan smiled—a warm, breathtaking smile that lit up his whole face. "I think the CEO can arrange that. On one condition."
"What condition?"
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"That the Head of Ethics agrees to have dinner with the CEO tonight. Not as a colleague... but as a date."
Clara’s heart did a joyful somersault in her chest. "I think I can accept those terms."
