Chapter 10
Arthur straightened up slowly, shielding the open lockbox with his body as he glared at his estranged brother. “You have no business being here, Viktor. This is private corporate property. You’re trespassing.”
Viktor chuckled, a dry, grating sound that lacked any genuine humor. He walked leisurely toward the consultation table, his expensive Italian leather shoes clicking against the concrete floor. His two armed associates fanned out, blocking the only exit from the vault.
“Property, Arthur? Everything you call yours was built on the foundation of stolen patents and rigged contracts that I engineered back in the nineties,” Viktor said, his voice dropping its lighthearted tone and turning razor-sharp. “You think a simple restraining order and a forced buyout twenty years ago erased my stake in this empire? I’ve spent two decades cultivating my assets in Zurich. All I needed was a legal wedge to crack this corporation open again—and your incompetent nephew provided the exact leverage I required.”
Clara stepped up beside her father, her expression completely devoid of fear. She kept her voice ice-cold and steady. “Julian is sitting in a federal holding cell facing twenty years for embezzlement, Viktor. Your leverage is currently wearing an orange jumpsuit and crying in a corner. The board has already approved our restructuring plan, and federal prosecutors have the complete audit.”
Viktor turned his gaze toward Clara, his eyes narrowing appraisingly. “Ah, the brilliant daughter. You’ve got your mother’s stubbornness and your father’s lack of foresight. You think arresting Julian solved your problem? Julian already signed over the Zurich shipping accounts to my holding company in exchange for my legal team posting his bail three hours ago.”
Arthur’s face drained of color. “You manipulated him into a trap.”
“I offered him a lifeline,” Viktor corrected smoothly. “And he gratefully accepted. Right now, my lawyers are filing an emergency injunction in federal court based on the 2012 settlement clauses. Without the original master contract invalidating those clauses, my holding company legally assumes controlling interest in every European subsidiary the Vance Corporation owns.”
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Clara didn't blink. With a swift, deliberate movement, her hand slipped inside the open lockbox behind her father, her fingers closing tightly around a folded parchment bearing a red wax seal.
“You mean this master contract?” Clara asked, pulling the document into the light with a calm, knowing smile.
