Chapter 18: The Sins of the Father
"We don't sign a damn thing."
Julian paced the length of the library, the transfer papers crumpled in his fist. His eyes were wild with protective fury. The realization that Richard had been standing in their bedroom, inches from Maya, was driving him to the edge of madness.
"He holds the master codes, Julian," Maya said quietly, sitting by the fireplace. "He knows every dark secret, every bribe, every illegal maneuver Arthur made to keep the company afloat over the last two decades. If he goes to the SEC, the company will be dismantled. Eleanor will lose her entire legacy."
"I don't care about the company!" Julian roared, slamming his hands down on the mahogany desk. "I care about you! He proved he can bypass our security. If he wanted to, he could have..." He trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
Eleanor walked into the library, her posture unnaturally straight. She looked at the crumpled papers on the desk. Since the FBI’s revelation, she had aged a decade, but the aristocratic fire in her eyes burned brighter than ever.
"Julian is right," Eleanor said, her voice like cracking ice. "We do not negotiate with terrorists. And that is what my husband has become."
Maya looked at her mother. "If he leaks the documents, you lose everything."
"I already lost everything twenty-four years ago," Eleanor said, walking over and taking Maya’s hand. "I lost you. The company is just brick and paper. But Richard thrives on control. He expects us to cower. He expects you to sign those papers out of fear. So, we will do the exact opposite."
"What do you have in mind?" Julian asked, his breathing slowing as he looked at the two most powerful women he knew.
"We expose him first," Maya said, the pieces of a plan clicking together in her mind. "If we go to the SEC and the FBI and hand over the company ledgers ourselves, claiming we just uncovered Arthur’s fraud, we get ahead of the narrative. The company will take a massive hit, maybe face billions in fines, but it will survive."
"And what about Richard?" Julian asked. "He's legally dead. He has no legal standing to claim the shares, which is why he needs your signature to willingly transfer them to a shell company. If we don't sign, he will come for you."
"Then we make sure he walks right into a trap," Maya said, her eyes flashing. "He said I had until tomorrow night to sign the papers. Tomorrow night is our engagement party at the Sterling Estate. Five hundred guests, security, media... he’ll have to show up to collect the papers. He’s too arrogant not to."
"He won't walk through the front door," Julian warned. "He’ll use the shadows. He knows the estate better than anyone."
"Not better than the woman who designed it," Eleanor corrected, a dangerous, vindictive smile curving her lips. "I oversaw the renovations of that estate ten years ago. I sealed his hidden tunnels. I moved the security grids. If he steps foot on that property, he is playing on my board."
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Julian pulled out his phone, dialing Marcus. "Double the security for tomorrow night. Hire private snipers for the roof. Call Agent Vance and tell him we’re going to serve up a ghost on a silver platter."
Maya stood up, smoothing the front of her clothes. She looked at the crumpled transfer papers. Richard thought she was just a scared girl in a pretty dress. He was about to find out exactly what happened when you cornered a street rat who had inherited a crown.
