Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Execution
I slowly let go of Julian's suit jacket. He slumped against the wall, coughing and adjusting his tie, trying to regain his composure as my mother stepped to his side.
I stood in the center of the hospital corridor, looking at the vultures gathered around my family. My mother, the woman who raised me; Julian, the rival who envied me; and Evelyn, the wife who had unknowingly been used as a pawn in their game.
"You knew, didn't you, Evelyn?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm, turning my gaze to my second wife.
Evelyn looked at me, tears filling her eyes. She shook her head quickly. "No, Lucas! I swear, I didn't know about the medical records. I didn't know about the babies until an hour ago when your mother called me. She told me what she did... she told me we had to protect the Carter-Brooks merger at all costs, or our family stocks would collapse."
She held out the file folder she was carrying. "But I won't do it, Lucas. I won't be a part of this."
Victoria’s eyes narrowed into icy slits. "Evelyn, shut your mouth! Lucas, be reasonable. Natalie was a schoolteacher from Ohio. She could never support your lifestyle. Look at what Julian has provided for them. It’s a clean break. You and Evelyn can adopt. We can move past this."
"Move past this?" I let out a sharp, broken laugh that echoed through the sterile hallway. I looked down at the twins, who were now crying quietly, clutching Natalie’s legs. My son. My daughter.
"Marcus," I said, not looking away from my mother.
"Yes, Lucas?" my attorney stepped forward.
"Call an emergency session of the Carter Enterprises executive board. Wake them up. I don't care if it's the middle of the night," I commanded, my voice resonating with an absolute, terrifying authority. "I am liquidating my entire sixty percent controlling share of the company. I want every asset associated with the Brooks merger sold off by morning. I am stepping down as CEO."
Victoria gasped, her hand flying to her pearl necklace. "Lucas, have you lost your mind? That will destroy thirty billion dollars in market value! You’ll ruin the family name!"
"I don't care about the name, Mother," I said, stepping directly into her space, looking down at the woman who had traded my happiness for corporate stock. "You wanted an empire. You can have it. But you will have it alone. By morning, the federal prosecutors will have the forensic audit showing your signatures on the medical fraud accounts. You aren't going to a boardroom tomorrow, Mom. You're going to a grand jury."
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Victoria staggered back, her face turning an ash-gray color as the reality of my words hit her.
I turned my back on her, turning instead to Julian Vance, who was trying to slip away toward the exit. "And as for you, Julian... the private adoption agency you used? They just received a federal injunction from my legal team. The adoption was predicated on a fraudulent medical profile and coercion. By noon, your parental rights will be legally challenged, and my name will be on those birth certificates."
