Chapter 4 - The Second Recording
The digital loading bar on the smartphone screen ticked upward, excruciatingly slow, while three hundred pairs of eyes remained glued to the stage.
Chloe dropped to her knees on the polished wooden floor, her expensive lace wedding gown catching on a stray staple. She stared up at Julian with a broken, pathetic expression, her makeup smeared across her face like war paint.
“Julian, please,” she whimpered, reaching out to grasp the hem of his trousers. “If you play that, your life as you know it is over. Think about the company. Think about the shareholders.”
Julian didn’t look down at her. His gaze remained locked on his son, who stood tall beneath the towering American flag.
“Let them think,” Julian replied coldly, his voice echoing in the dead silence of the ballroom. “Play it, Leo.”
The smartphone speaker crackled again, cutting through the heavy air.
This time, a second voice joined Chloe’s in the recording. It was unmistakably male, smooth, and laced with casual corporate arrogance.
“Are you sure the kid won’t talk? He’s smart for a seven-year-old,” the male voice asked through the audio playback.
Chloe’s voice on the recording laughed lightly, a chilling sound devoid of any maternal warmth.
“He’s a kid, Marcus. A little cough syrup in his juice before bed, and he won’t remember his own name by morning. Besides, once Julian and I are legally married, I’ll have full proxy rights over the trust. We can ship him off before the quarter ends.”
A collective gasp swept through the ballroom. Whispers erupted into angry shouts as the guests realized the full, terrifying scope of the betrayal.
Marcus Vance, Julian’s chief financial officer and best man, who was standing quietly near the back bar, suddenly turned pale. He bolted for the grand double doors of the ballroom.
“Stop him!” Aunt Sarah roared, pointing a finger at the fleeing executive.
Two burly groomsmen reacted instantly, tackling Marcus to the floor just feet away from the exit. The sound of heavy thuds and Marcus’s breathless curses echoed off the crystal chandeliers.
Julian slowly turned his head to watch his best man pinned to the floor. The betrayal wasn’t just personal; it was systemic, calculated, and deep-rooted.
“Marcus,” Julian said softly, walking slowly toward the struggling men. “You were at my table every Sunday. You held my son when he was a baby.”
Marcus glared up from the floor, his designer tie twisted around his neck, sneering with reckless defiance.
“You were running the company into the ground with your soft sentimentalities, Julian!” Marcus shouted, struggling against the grips of the groomsmen. “We just wanted to streamline things!”
Julian looked down at his former friend, then slowly turned back to look up at his son on the stage.
Leo wiped his nose with his sleeve, holding the phone out like a shield.
May you like
“There’s a third file, Dad,” Leo said, his voice trembling slightly as he stared at a specific folder on the screen. “The one from your office safe.”
---
