Chapter 4: The Daughter of the Enemy
Malcolm listened to the recording six times.
Not because he doubted what he heard.
Because he needed to accept it.
Some wounds never truly closed.
They simply waited for someone to touch them again.
The voice of Curtis Cross filled the secure room.
“You were too young to remember everything about Daniel.””
Then Simone answered.
“I remember enough.””
Malcolm stared at the audio file.
Enough.
That one word carried years of secrets.
Marcus stood nearby, silent.
He knew Malcolm well enough to understand that silence was dangerous.
When Malcolm yelled, people knew what he felt.
When Malcolm became quiet, people should have been afraid.
“She knew,” Marcus said.
Malcolm nodded.
“She knew who I was.””
“And still came here.””
“Yes.””
Marcus looked at the screen.
“That takes a different kind of evil.””
Malcolm didn’t respond.
Because anger was easy.
Understanding was harder.
Simone had not simply lied about her identity.
She had studied him.
She had learned his habits.
She had learned his weaknesses.
She had looked at the pain of losing Daniel and used it as a doorway into his life.
That was what made it personal.
Not the money.
Not the company.
The betrayal.
The next morning, Malcolm attended a board meeting as if nothing had happened.
That was the part that confused everyone.
The executives expected panic.
They expected him to announce legal action.
They expected him to cancel everything.
Instead, Malcolm walked into the conference room wearing a dark suit and calmly reviewed quarterly reports.
Because Malcolm understood something important.
A trap only works if the person inside believes they are safe.
And Simone still believed she was safe.
During lunch, she called him.
Her voice was warm.
“Malcolm, are we okay?””
He almost admired her performance.
Almost.
“Why wouldn’t we be?””
“I just feel like things have been strange since the dinner.””
He looked out the window.
“You’re imagining things.””
A pause.
A tiny pause.
Then:
“I love you.””
Malcolm closed his eyes.
A year ago, those words would have meant everything.
Now they sounded like a weapon.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said.
When the call ended, he deleted nothing.
He saved everything.
Meanwhile, the security team uncovered the full plan.
The fake seal was only the first step.
Curtis Cross had created a company overseas.
A shell corporation designed to appear legitimate.
The goal was simple.
Use the stolen seal to authorize documents transferring control of certain King maritime assets.
Once signed, the paperwork would move through a corrupt banking executive who had been helping Curtis hide money for years.
The transfer would happen within forty-eight hours.
And if Malcolm confronted them too soon, they would destroy evidence.
So he waited.
That evening, Malcolm returned to the mansion.
Simone greeted him at the door.
She looked beautiful.
Perfect.
Like someone who had never done anything wrong.
“Dinner?”” she asked.
He nodded.
They sat together beneath the same chandelier where Zuri had exposed her.
The irony almost made him laugh.
Almost.
“You seem different,” Simone said.
“How?””
“Distant.””
Malcolm cut his food slowly.
“Maybe I’m tired.””
She smiled.
“You’ve always carried too much responsibility.””
He looked at her.
“That’s true.””
She reached across the table and touched his hand.
A gesture she had performed a hundred times.
But now he saw it differently.
Every touch had been calculated.
Every conversation measured.
Every smile practiced.
“You know,” Simone said, “after we’re married, things will change.””
“For better?””
“For everyone.””
Malcolm raised an eyebrow.
“What does that mean?””
She quickly smiled.
“I mean our families will become one.””
Families.
That word bothered him.
Because Simone wasn’t trying to join his family.
She was trying to replace it.
Later that night, Malcolm visited Aaliyah and Zuri again.
Zuri was drawing.
“What are you making?”” Malcolm asked.
She held up the paper proudly.
“A bird.””
Malcolm smiled.
“Another golden bird?””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“This bird is flying away.””
Aaliyah laughed.
“She has a big imagination.””
Malcolm looked at the drawing.
Maybe.
Or maybe children understood things adults spent years ignoring.
“Zuri,” he asked gently.
“Why did you say Simone took the bird?””
The little girl looked confused.
“Because she did.””
“How did you know?””
She shrugged.
“I saw her.””
Aaliyah looked surprised.
“When?””
Zuri thought carefully.
“Before dinner.””
Malcolm leaned forward.
“Where?””
“In the hallway.””
She pointed toward the imaginary direction.
“She looked at me.””
“And what did she do?””
Zuri lowered her voice.
“She said I was a bad girl if I told.””
Aaliyah immediately pulled her daughter closer.
Malcolm felt a wave of anger.
Not because Simone threatened him.
Because she threatened a child.
A three-year-old who had only done what children do.
Tell the truth.
Malcolm stood.
The game was almost over.
“Tomorrow,” he said, “we finish this.””
Marcus had already prepared everything.
The real seal was secured.
The fake seal was tracked.
The recording was ready.
And the final transfer meeting was scheduled.
All Malcolm needed was for Curtis Cross and Simone to make one last mistake.
They thought they were stealing an empire.
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They didn’t realize they were walking into a courtroom built by the very man they tried to destroy.
And at the center of it all was a little girl who had no idea she had started the downfall of one of New York’s most dangerous families.
