Chapter 4
Arthur grabbed Victoria by the elbow, his grip punishingly tight, and pulled her away from the center of the ballroom. Without waiting for permission, he steered her through a pair of heavy mahogany doors leading into a private study adjacent to the hall. Helena followed at a measured, unhurried pace, her heels clicking rhythmically against the hardwood floor of the corridor. The heavy doors slammed shut behind them, cutting off the muted strains of the string quartet and the murmur of confused guests.
The study was a dark, suffocating sanctuary lined with leather-bound books that nobody ever read and portraits of stern ancestors who had likely built their fortunes on similarly questionable foundations. Victoria slumped against a mahogany desk, burying her face in her hands. The pristine blonde bun was beginning to fray, loose strands of hair falling across her flushed cheeks.
"You ruined it," Victoria sobbed quietly, her shoulders shaking with restrained grief. "Everything was perfect. Just one more hour and the merger would have been signed. The debt would have been cleared."
Arthur paced the length of the room, his tuxedo jacket rustling with every agitated movement. He jammed his hands into his pockets, his bald head glistening under the soft amber light of a desk lamp. "She’s bluffing, Victoria. She has no proof that can withstand our legal team. We bought her silence five years ago."
"You bought a temporary delay, Arthur," Helena said, stepping into the room and closing the door softly behind her. She leaned against the heavy wood, crossing her arms over the high-slit black gown. "You thought a settlement check would erase the fact that my father built the software your entire corporate empire was founded on. You pushed him out, you drove him to ruin, and you handed his life’s work to your daughter as a wedding dowry."
Arthur stopped pacing, his face turning a dangerous shade of crimson. "That was business. Your father was a dreamer who didn't understand the market. We legally acquired his assets."
"You forged his signature while he was in the hospital," Helena corrected, her voice dropping an octave, steady and chillingly calm. "I have the original drafts. I have the unredacted bank transfers. And tonight, while you were busy celebrating your daughter's glittering sham of a wedding, I uploaded copies of every single document to every major financial news outlet in the country."
Victoria screamed softly, her hands flying away from her face. She stared at Helena in sheer horror. "You didn't."
May you like
"Check your phone, Victoria," Helena replied, tilting her head toward the small clutch resting on the edge of the desk.
Arthur lunged for the desk, snatching the phone before Victoria could touch it. His trembling fingers fumbled with the screen unlock.
