Chapter 14 - The Price of a Wedding
We moved Nicholas to a secure location and brought Matthew there after dark. When the boy saw his father, he stopped in the doorway.
Nicholas knelt, his hands trembling.
"Hey, little man."
Matthew took one cautious step. Then another.
"You came back," he whispered.
Nicholas opened his arms. Matthew ran into them, and his father held him as if the world might take him away again.
I stood by the window, trying not to intrude on seven years of missing time.
Grace arrived with news. Camila had called an emergency board meeting for the following morning. She intended to present a merger agreement with Sloane Holdings and claim that I was suffering a breakdown after discovering Rose's alleged blackmail scheme.
"She wants control of the company," Grace said. "And she wants you declared unfit before Nicholas can appear."
Nicholas opened the notebook. "The merger transfers the logistics division to a Sloane shell company. That's where the missing money went."
"Why rush it now?" I asked.
"Because Matthew's birth certificate activates a clause in Dad's trust," Nicholas said. "If my direct heir is confirmed, the shares set aside for him cannot be transferred or pledged. Richard needs the record erased before the board learns the truth."
I looked at my brother.
"Then tomorrow, we give them the truth."
Nicholas shook his head. "Not yet. Camila has one more move."
My phone rang. Her name appeared on the screen.
May you like
I answered.
"Bring me the ledger," Camila said, "or Rose won't see morning."
