Chapter 5 - The Trial of the Billionaire
By morning, the city was in an uproar.
The news headlines were savage:
"BILLIONAIRE CEO DOMINIC EVANS WANTED FOR KIDNAPPING AND ARSON!"
"POLICE LAUNCH MANHUNT AFTER EVANS PENTHOUSE EXPLOSION!"
Victoria Evans had played her cards perfectly. Using her media connections and corrupt police officials on her payroll, she had framed Dominic. The narrative was simple: Dominic had gone insane, kidnapped a homeless orphan girl for a sick publicity stunt, and set fire to his own penthouse when the authorities tried to intervene.
Dominic and Ellie were now hiding in a derelict, abandoned warehouse by the shipping docks—a property Dominic had bought years ago under a shell company. Marcus had managed to escape the tower and join them, bringing food and a secure laptop.
"They've frozen your bank accounts, Dominic," Marcus said, his face grim. "The board of directors has voted to strip you of your CEO title. Victoria is stepping in as interim CEO of Evans Global."
Dominic didn't look up from the microchip they had recovered from the bike. He had plugged it into the secure laptop.
"Let her have the title," Dominic said, his eyes cold and calculating. "It won't matter in a few hours. Look at this."
The screen displayed thousands of encrypted files. Julian had documented everything.
Five years ago, Julian had discovered that Victoria was using Evans Global's shipping vessels to smuggle illegal weapons and contraband across international waters. When Julian tried to go to the authorities, Victoria had his car's braking system hacked, orchestrating the fatal crash.
But Julian survived long enough to pull his daughter, Ellie, out of harm's way, hide the evidence inside her custom-made bicycle, and place her in a secure shelter system. He knew Dominic was too heavily monitored to be approached directly, so he designed the bike to be found and brought to Dominic when the time was right.
"This is enough to put Victoria away for life," Marcus said.
"But we need to present it where she can't suppress it," Dominic said. "She owns the local police and the media outlets. If we hand this to the precinct, it will disappear."
At that moment, the laptop screen flashed. A live news broadcast showed Victoria Evans standing at a podium in the grand ballroom of the Evans Global Headquarters. She was hosting a massive, televised press conference to announce her new role as CEO and to appeal for the "safe return of the kidnapped orphan, Ellie."
"She’s making her move," Dominic said, standing up. He looked at Ellie, who was drawing a picture of a red bicycle in the dust on the concrete floor.
"Ellie," Dominic said, kneeling in front of her. "Are you ready to help me finish this game?"
Ellie looked at him, her amber eyes shining with a bravery that went far beyond her six years. "Yes, Daddy. I'm not scared anymore."
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Dominic's heart swelled. Daddy. She had called him her dad for a day, but he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was never going to let her go.
"Marcus, prep the transport," Dominic said, his voice laced with steel. "We are going to crash a press conference."
