They Poisoned My Father, So I Bankrupted Their Billion-Dollar Empire

Chapter 9: The Retainer

"What do you mean it's not enough?" Jack asked, his voice rising. "It's in his own handwriting!"

"It's hearsay," Elena explained, pulling a contract from her bag. "The author is dead. The defense will argue it's a forgery, or the ramblings of a disgruntled employee. To make the journal admissible in court, we need corroboration."

She slid the contract over. "Standard contingency fee agreement. I take 40% of the settlement, but only if we win. You pay nothing upfront. I cover all court costs, filing fees, and expert witnesses."

Jack signed it without reading. He trusted her desperation; she looked like she needed this win as much as he did.

"So, what do we need?" Jack asked.

Elena turned the journal around. "Page 42. The shift log. There were two supervisors that night. Your father, and a man named Silas O’Neil."

She pulled up a dossier on her tablet. "Silas is the only other person on this list who isn't dead yet. If we can get him to testify—to swear on an affidavit that he saw Thorne sign off on these orders—we have a case."

"Where is he?"

Elena grimaced. "He's in a state-run facility. But Jack... there's a reason he's still alive."