Chapter 5 - The Safe Combination
Julian froze mid-step. The air in the ballroom seemed to grow ten degrees colder.
His office safe? The private vault hidden behind the mahogany bookshelf in his downtown corporate headquarters held the blueprints for his upcoming tech acquisition—a multi-billion-dollar deal that represented the future of his entire empire.
“What did you say?” Julian asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low register as he turned his back on Marcus.
Leo swallowed hard, his small fingers tapping the screen to bring up a video file this time instead of just audio.
“She wasn't just talking about me, Dad,” Leo said, his voice cracking with emotion. “She was talking about your company. She gave Marcus the combination to the safe while you were sleeping in the guest room last month.”
Chloe stopped crying instantly. Her posture stiffened, and the pathetic, broken-bride act vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating glare. She rose slowly to her feet, brushing the dirt from her white lace dress with slow, deliberate movements.
“You shouldn’t have looked in that folder, little boy,” Chloe said, her voice dropping its sweet facade completely, turning into something sharp and venomous.
Before anyone could react, Chloe reached into the hidden pocket sewn into the lining of her wedding gown and pulled out a small, heavy black flash drive.
“Julian, you absolute fool,” Chloe laughed, a manic, high-pitched sound that bounced off the crystal chandeliers. “You thought you built an empire all by yourself? Every patent, every offshore account, every secret your father left you—it’s already transferred. The papers were filed at four o’clock this afternoon.”
Julian stared at her in sheer disbelief. The room spun around him.
“You hacked the transfer during the rehearsal dinner?” Julian whispered, the horrifying truth dawning on him.
“While you were busy picking out flowers and arguing with your mother about the seating chart,” Chloe smiled, holding up the flash drive like a trophy. “Marcus and I own eighty percent of the voting shares now. You’re bankrupt, Julian. The wedding is legally binding under proxy law because you signed the preliminary asset merger this morning.”
Eleanor screamed, clutching her chest as she stumbled backward into the arms of a bridesmaid.
Julian took a step forward, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
“Give me that drive,” Julian demanded, his voice trembling with a rage that terrified everyone in the room.
“Come and get it,” Chloe sneered, taking a step back toward the open balcony doors that led out into the freezing night air.
May you like
Just as Julian lunged toward her, the ballroom’s main security monitors along the back wall flickered violently, cutting off the wedding reception live stream and flashing a terrifying red warning signal across every screen.
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