Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Ryder
I’m angry with myself.
Annoyed that I didn’t see this sooner, when Evie was here. I could have gotten more answers from her.
Trying to figure out Vincent Lang is hard.
I scroll through more of the reports, zooming in on a series of these false invoices that don’t add up. I freeze, staring at the list of amounts, each one getting larger as it moves down the page.
What was he up to?
Before I can fully digest what I’m looking at, my phone buzzes. I grab it off the desk, already knowing who it is. The name on the screen is Parriah Investigations.
“Yeah?” I answer, my voice low.
“Ryder,” says Marco, my private investigator, “I think I’ve got something.”
I straighten up, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Marco doesn’t waste time.
“What did you find?”
“I’ve been digging into Lang’s personal accounts, like you asked,” he says.
“You were right. It’s worse than I thought.
This guy’s been setting up shell companies under different names.
Nothing huge, but enough to divert money from the hotel.
I traced one of the accounts back to an offshore bank, and there’s a transfer from one of the hotel’s accounts. A sizable one.”
I clench my jaw. “How sizable?”
“Very. It looks like he’s been building a little nest egg for himself, using the hotel’s funds to pay for it.”
“Damn,” I mutter under my breath, the frustration and anger building in my chest. “How did this happen?”
I’m furious, not at Evie. She was a sweet, trusting woman, and she clearly thought this con man was her friend.
But what an asshole.
Fuck him!
“What was the endgame?” I ask, my jaw clenched.
“I think he was setting Evie up to sell the hotel. He made sure it looked like the place was in financial ruin. She would’ve been desperate enough to sell, and when the time came, she would’ve sold it for a fraction of its value to him.
All while Lang was sitting on the sidelines, building his own little empire with stolen money and eventually a hotel he could make a fortune from. ”
I slam my fist on the desk, the sound echoing in the quiet room. “That son of a bitch. He was playing her the whole time.”
“Yeah,” Marco says, disgust in his voice. “I’m still digging, Ryder, but you need to be careful.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Yeah, I will be. Speak soon, okay?”
The line clicks dead, and I sit there for a moment, processing. Vincent Lang didn’t just steal money. He stole Evie’s trust.
And that betrayal? It cuts deeper than any financial loss.
I don’t know what kind of man does this sort of thing. But I do know one thing, Vincent Lang’s not going to get away with this.
Not while I’m still breathing.
I’m done playing nice.
Thank goodness I got a lead on this asshole tonight, while rage is still burning through my body.
Vincent Lang is going to be at a high-end gala in the city tonight. An exclusive event, one of those affairs where the rich and powerful come to play their little games.
And, of course, it’s the perfect place for Vincent Lang to mingle with other wealthy people. Maybe even future victims.
So, that’s precisely where I am—in my finest suit, scanning the crowd.
The place is dripping with wealth. Expensive suits, diamond-studded necklaces, and the clink of champagne glasses echoing through the air.
The kind of people who are oblivious to everything outside of their own little world. But not me. I’ve got a job to do.
Lang’s here somewhere. And I’m going to find that asshole.
Luckily, he’s loud, obnoxious, and not hard to find. He’s in the center of the room, talking to a well-dressed woman with a smirk playing on the corner of his lips.
My hands curl into fists. I don’t know how I’m going to control myself. There’s no sign of guilt in his eyes, just a veneer of charm and confidence. He looks untouchable, which only makes it so much worse.
I walk straight toward him, my feet steady, my jaw clenched. Every step closer makes my blood burn hotter.
He’s been slipping through the cracks for too long. Evie trusted him, and he betrayed that trust. Now, I’m going to make sure he pays for it.
When I get within arm’s reach, I don’t hesitate. I stop in front of him, cutting him off mid-sentence.
He looks at me, a little surprised, but it’s quickly replaced with a smile.
“Vincent Lang,” I start, iciness dripping off my tongue. “Good to finally meet you.”
His eyebrows furrow. He’s trying to place my face, but his smile never falters. He shifts his attention back to the woman beside him, trying to keep her engaged.
He’s still the charming, suave bastard, pretending everything’s just another social encounter.
“Do I know you?” he asks, clearly uninterested, as if I’m just some random acquaintance he doesn’t care to remember.
I don’t give him the satisfaction of playing it cool. I extend my hand, acting my ass off. He needs to think this is a typical greeting.
A moment of small talk, nothing more.
“Ryder Hale,” I say. The name feels heavier on my tongue tonight than it ever has before. “CFO of The Garland Rose.”
Lang glances at my outstretched hand, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. It’s almost imperceptible, but I see it. He hesitates for a fraction of a second before reaching out, clasping my hand with a firm shake.
His grip is cold, calculated. No warmth. He’s measuring me, figuring out what game I’m playing. But I’ve got news for him: I’m done pretending.
“I’m sure you’ve been waiting to meet me. Isn’t that right, Vincent?”
He chuckles throatily, but he does his best to keep up the act. “Mmm, yes. I suppose so.”
“You’re good at pretending,” I say, my voice laced with disgust. “Pretending to be Evie’s friend, pretending to be above board. But we both know better now, don’t we?”
His smile falters, but he recovers quickly, flashing a false-looking grin.
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” he says, still calm, still trying to deflect. But the tension between us is palpable now. “You’ve got the wrong idea, Mr. Hale.”
“No, I don’t think I do,” I reply, my eyes locking onto his, no trace of civility left.
“You’ve been siphoning money from the Garland Rose for years.
Embezzling. Setting up fake companies. You’ve made a fortune off Evie’s back.
All to force her to sell. Is that what you’re trying to do to this woman, too? Is that why you’re charming her?”
I can feel the temperature drop in the room as the words hit the air. The woman beside him freezes, sensing the shift in the conversation. Her smile is gone now. She looks between us, her face growing pale.
Lang’s jaw tightens, the facade cracking. His fingers curl into the fabric of his suit, a subtle sign of his discomfort.
“That’s quite the accusation,” he says, his voice slipping into something darker. “You should be careful. This isn’t a game you want to play.”
I take a step closer, leaning in just enough to make him feel it, to make him know I’m not backing down.
“I’m done playing games, Lang. This isn’t about some corporate takeover. This is about what you did to Evie. You think you can manipulate everyone around you for profit? Not anymore.”
The words hang between us. For a moment, I wonder if this is the end of it, if he’ll try to talk his way out of it—or worse, if he’ll try to intimidate me.
But Lang just laughs. It’s low, almost menacing, and I see the mask slip completely now. The charming, pleasant man is gone.
“You’re out of your league, Hale,” Lang spits out, dropping any pretense of civility. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with. That hotel is a joke. It was a sinking ship before I ever got involved.”
He steps forward, his voice growing louder, his eyes colder. “Evie was too sentimental, too stubborn to see that. But me? I saw the numbers. I saw the opportunity.”
“Shut the hell up,” I snap, my patience thinning. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that. She trusted you.”
His expression darkens, and he leans in, the space between us filled with tension.
“Trust? Trust is for fools, Ryder. People like her… like you… you don’t know how the real world works.
I did what had to be done to save my own ass.
She couldn’t run that hotel, couldn’t handle the burden.
And now look at it… it’s barely holding together. You really think you can save it?”
The anger roars through me, but I force myself to stay calm. My fists are tight at my sides. “You think you’re untouchable, huh? That nobody can stop you? You’re wrong, Vincent. This is where it ends. You’re not walking away from this.”
Lang’s face twists into a sneer, and I can see the raw hatred behind his carefully constructed mask. His eyes flash with a dangerous gleam, and I know he’s about to make a move.
“You’re a fool,” he spits, his voice dripping with venom. “You think this is over? This isn’t just about money. This is about power, and you’ll never have it. Not like me.”
The crowd around us is watching now, their whispers growing louder. A few people have pulled out their phones, probably recording the scene. But it’s too late for Vincent. The truth’s already out.
“I don’t care what you think, Lang,” I say, my voice sharp, but now there’s a finality in it. “I’m bringing you down. And I’m starting right here.”
I turn to walk away, my mind racing, knowing that this confrontation is far from finished. But tonight, I’ve taken the first step toward ending it.
And Lang? He’s no longer the untouchable man he once was.
By the time I get back to my apartment, I’m furious. No, furious doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’m beyond livid.
The confrontation with Lang, the way he sneered and acted as if he were the one in control. It’s eating me alive.
I pace across my living room, hands shoved in my pockets, jaw clenched so tight I can hear the tension in my teeth. The adrenaline that’s been fueling me for hours is finally starting to wear off, and all that’s left is what I’ve uncovered and what’s still to come.
I should’ve known. I should’ve seen it sooner. Evie, trusting that bastard.
All those years of friendship. She had no idea what he was doing behind her back. But I do. I know, and I can’t just let this go.
Evie trusted me. She trusted me to fix things, to take care of the hotel, to protect it in her absence. And I’m damn well going to do that, no matter how messy it gets.
But how do I handle this? How do I take down Vincent Lang, someone who’s been playing everyone around him for years, without making it worse?
I don’t even know where to start. All I have are false invoices, but I have no clue where the money is being hidden, or if it was even him.
It’s not enough to ruin him, not yet. Not when he could somehow turn this around on Evie if he wanted.
The anger churns in my gut, but it’s mixed with something colder. It’s the reality that I can’t just brute force my way through this.
I can’t just go in with my fists and take him out. That’s not how this works.
I stop pacing and stand in front of the window, looking out over the city. The lights twinkle below me, mocking my frustration.
The world keeps turning, unaware of the war that’s brewing right beneath its surface.
Vincent Lang doesn’t deserve the life he’s built. He doesn’t deserve to walk away free after everything he’s done.
My phone buzzes on the coffee table, snapping me out of my thoughts. I grab it without thinking, knowing exactly who it is.
Marco.
“What do you have?” I don’t bother with pleasantries. I just need answers.
“Ryder,” Marco says, his voice low. “I found more. A lot more.”
I feel the muscles in my neck tense. “What do you mean, more?”
“There’s a shell company he’s been funneling money into for years.
It’s got his name on it, but it’s buried deep, off the grid.
And there’s another account. This one’s got a few million in it.
It’s under an alias, but I’ve traced it back to Lang’s real estate dealings.
He’s been buying property under false names, using hotel money as leverage. ”
I exhale slowly, the tension in my chest tightening with every word. “Goddamn it. I should’ve figured this out sooner.”
“There’s still time,” Marco says. “I’ll keep digging, Ryder. But you need to be careful. You’re already walking a fine line here. If you push too hard, too fast, you could make things worse. He could come up with a plan of his own that would backfire on you and the hotel completely.”
I rub my temples, feeling it all crashing down on me. He’s right. But what choice do I have?
I walk to the window, staring out at the city again, my mind a mess of strategy and fury. “I don’t care how hard it gets. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line, then Marco’s voice cuts through again, softer this time. “Just make sure you’re ready for what comes next, Ryder. This isn’t gonna be pretty.”
“I know,” I mutter, my eyes locked on the skyline. “But I’m ready. I’ll handle it.”
I hang up, the finality of it settling in. There’s no going back now. I’ve crossed the line. Vincent Lang is my enemy.
She might not have told me everything because, at the time, she didn’t understand it herself.
But I know who the villain is. I know who’s to blame for everything going wrong.
I don’t know if this will fix everything with The Garland Rose, but it’s got to be a start in the right direction.