Chapter 4: The Fall of the Mask
The room went silent as Richard laid out the evidence. He played recordings of Claudia’s calls. He displayed the diverted funds. He showed the papers she had forged. Claudia’s face turned from triumph to a deathly, chalky grey. She reached for the locket around her neck, but Ethan stepped forward.
"The locket is empty, Claudia," Ethan said, his voice echoing in the grand hall. "I took the key days ago. I’ve already opened the safe."
The executor of the will stepped up, holding the original documents that proved the Walker Empire belonged to Ethan, held in trust until he came of age. The board members, realizing that Claudia’s "merger" was a fraud that would lead to criminal charges, backed away from her as if she were radioactive.
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Claudia tried to scream, to lash out, but security was already there. She was escorted out of the mansion, not as the mistress of the house, but as a disgraced criminal. The diamonds, the silk, the prestige—it all vanished in the span of minutes.
Richard fell to his knees in front of his son. He didn't speak. He simply pulled Ethan into a hug, the first real hug they had shared in two years. Ethan didn't hold back anymore; he buried his face in his father’s shoulder and let out the tears he had been saving for years.
