Chapter 8 - THE RETURN OF THE TITAN
Julian froze, his hand dropping from Grace’s arm as if he had been burned. Richard Vance snapped his laptop shut, slamming his hands onto the desk as both men whipped their heads toward the spiral staircase.
Stepping slowly down the carved oak steps was Adrian Whitmore.
He was no longer wearing the dirty maintenance jumpsuit or the beggar's rags. He was dressed in a tailored charcoal three-piece suit, his silver hair neatly combed back, carrying himself with the terrifying, absolute presence of a king returning to his throne.
"A-Adrian?" Julian stammered, stepping backward until his spine hit the edge of the mahogany desk. His face drained of all color, turning a sickly chalk white. "You... you were in London! The flight logs—"
"The flight logs were a decoy, cousin," Adrian said smoothly, descending the final step and walking slowly across the rug. "I never left Connecticut. In fact, I’ve been on this property for the last forty-eight hours."
Richard Vance stood up, trying to maintain his composure, though sweat beaded along his hairline. "Whitmore... this is a private corporate matter. Your cousin was simply acting in the best interest of Whitmore Global during your unaccounted absence—"
"Silence, Vance," Adrian cut him off with a single, razor-sharp look that made the seasoned corporate raider physically flinch. "I stood in the hollow wall behind that vent while you negotiated the liquidation of my life's work for pennies on the dollar. I know about the Cayman accounts. I know about the land deals. And I know about the bribes paid to my gate security."
Julian’s breath came in ragged, panicked gasps. "Adrian, listen to me! It was Vance! He approached me! He manipulated me into thinking you were abandoning the firm!"
"Save your pathetic excuses for the grand jury, Julian," Adrian said coldly.
Adrian pulled a small silver remote from his pocket and pressed a button.
May you like
The double doors of the library slammed open with a heavy thud. Standing in the hallway were six armed federal agents led by State Prosecutor Evelyn Reed, flanked by four state troopers.
Behind them stood Victor, the gate guard, already bound in handcuffs and looking down at the floor in utter disgrace.
