Chapter 13
The St. Jude’s Academy library was a cavernous, wood-paneled sanctuary filled with towering shelves of leather-bound classics and amber reading lamps casting a warm glow across long oak tables. At a corner desk near the tall stained-glass windows, fifteen-year-old Leo Vance sat hunched over a thick physics textbook, scribbling notes into a spiral notebook. He had his father David’s dark, expressive eyes and the same quiet, contemplative demeanor that Arthur remembered so fondly.
Arthur stopped a few paces away, his boots clicking softly against the parquet floor. Elena remained near the doorway, giving the grandfather and grandson the necessary space.
"Leo," Arthur said softly.
The boy looked up, blinking in surprise as he recognized his grandfather. A bright, genuine smile broke across Leo’s face, instantly banishing the studious intensity. "Grandpa! What are you doing here? The semester finals aren't for another month."
Arthur walked over and pulled out the wooden chair opposite his grandson, sitting down with a faint groan from his aging joints. He looked at the boy, realizing just how much he resembled David at that exact age. The realization made what he had to do next feel almost unbearable.
"I came because we need to talk, Leo," Arthur said, his voice steady but thick with emotion. He reached across the table and gently placed his weathered hand over his grandson's fingers. "About your mother, and about what happened at the estate yesterday evening."
Leo’s smile faltered, the warmth draining from his expression as he registered the profound seriousness in his grandfather's tone. "Is Mom okay? The dorm proctor said there was some kind of family emergency at the gala."
Arthur took a deep breath, choosing his words with absolute care. He didn't offer corporate euphemisms or legal shielding; he gave him the unvarnished truth, stripped of malice yet anchored in absolute honesty. He told him about the financial audit, the encrypted wire transfers, and the terrifying discovery made in the estate's prep room by a brave woman standing quietly near the library door.
"The federal authorities have detained her, Leo," Arthur concluded softly, his thumb gently stroking the back of his grandson's hand. "She made choices that harmed not only our company, but the memory of your father. I am so deeply sorry you have to bear this weight."
Leo stared down at the polished wood of the table, his jaw tightening as tears welled in his dark eyes. He didn't scream, and he didn't throw a tantrum. He simply absorbed the devastating blow with a quiet, heartbreaking maturity that echoed his father's spirit.
"I always knew something was wrong," Leo whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "She was always talking about power, about what we deserved, about how you were holding us back. But I didn't want to see it."
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Arthur leaned forward, pulling his grandson into a fierce, protective embrace. "You aren't responsible for her choices, Leo. None of this is your fault. And you will never have to face this alone. I promise you that."
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