Chapter 6 - THE RETRIBUTION BEGINS
Julian Vance leaned heavily on his cane, his shock turning into desperate anger as he watched Adrian kneel before a housekeeper.
"Adrian, you are making a catastrophic mistake!" Julian barked, stepping toward them. "If you acknowledge that document, Whitmore Infrastructure will face a massive restructuring! Your father's legacy will be tarnished! The board will turn on you!"
Adrian stood up slowly, turning around to face the lawyer once more. He pulled his smartphone from his pocket, unlocked it, and pressed a button on the screen.
"Do you know what this app is, Julian?" Adrian asked calmly.
Julian frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"It’s a high-definition audio recording app," Adrian replied, holding up the glowing screen. "It’s linked directly to my company’s secure cloud server. It recorded the last twelve minutes of your conversation with Marissa. Including your confession about hiding my grandfather's codicil, your admission of tax fraud regarding Evelyn Vance, and your direct attempt to blackmail Marissa using corrupt family court judges."
Julian’s eyes widened in horror. "You... you recorded me?"
"At 8:00 AM tomorrow morning," Adrian continued smoothly, "this recording will be delivered personally to the State Attorney General, the Board of Bar Overseers, and every member of the Whitmore Infrastructure Board of Directors."
"Adrian, please!" Julian gasped, his arrogance completely collapsing into groveling panic. He reached out with a trembling hand, grabbing Adrian’s sleeve. "We can work this out! We are partners! I served your grandfather for forty years!"
Adrian looked down at Julian’s hand on his sleeve as if it were a poisonous insect. He brushed it off with a single, sharp motion.
"Your partnership with Whitmore Infrastructure is terminated as of this second," Adrian said, his tone as cold as winter ice. "By midnight, security will revoke your access to the Whitmore building. By tomorrow afternoon, our internal audit team will begin seizing every file you have ever touched."
Julian stumbled back, clutching his chest, breathing heavily. "You will destroy everything..."
"No," Adrian replied, stepping closer and looking down at him. "I am cleaning my house. Now get out of this apartment before I throw you down those stairs myself."
Julian Vance looked at Adrian, then at Marissa, who was standing tall and unshakeable beside her son’s crib. Realizing he had lost completely, the old lawyer turned around, leaning heavily on his cane, and stumbled out of the apartment into the rainy night. The front door slammed shut behind him.
The small apartment became quiet again, save for the soft patter of rain against the windowpane and the gentle cooing of baby Owen in his crib.
Marissa let out a long, ragged breath, her knees suddenly giving out.
Adrian reached out instantly, catching her by the arms and guiding her gently onto the small secondhand sofa. He sat down in the chair opposite her, giving her time to compose herself.
After a few moments, Marissa looked up, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. She looked at the blue envelope in her lap, then looked at Adrian.
"You really didn't know?" she asked quietly. "About Daniel? About me?"
"I swear on my grandfather's memory, Marissa," Adrian said softly. "I knew nothing. Four years ago, I heard my father and Julian arguing in the study, but they hid everything from me. My father told me Daniel was a disgraced accountant. I had no idea my grandfather had another child, or that Daniel was my cousin."
Marissa nodded slowly, believing him. "Daniel was a good man, Adrian. He was an architect. He wanted to build affordable housing. When he found out who his real grandfather was, he didn't want the money. But when he saw how corrupt Julian was, he kept that document to protect our family."
She reached out and offered the blue leather envelope to Adrian.
"Take it," Marissa said softly. "It belongs to your company anyway."
May you like
Adrian looked at the envelope, but he didn't take it. Instead, he gently pushed her hand back toward her.
"No, Marissa," Adrian said firmly. "That envelope doesn't belong to the company. It belongs to Owen. It is his birthright. And tomorrow, we are going to make sure the entire world knows it."
