Chapter 6 - The Paper Trail of Betrayal
Richard sank into a chair near the edge of the room, looking completely defeated. But I wasn't finished.
"Did you really think I didn't know, Richard?" I asked, pulling a thin leather folder from my briefcase.
"Know... know what?" Richard stammered, sweating profusely.
"The offshore account in the Cayman Islands," I said, sliding a document across the table toward him. "The three million dollars you siphoned from the research budget over the last eighteen months. You didn't just spend it on party rentals and country club memberships, did you?"
The board members gasped. The lead director stood up, staring at Richard in utter shock. "Richard, is this true?!"
"It's... it's a mistake! She fabricated it!" Richard yelled, standing up so fast his chair fell over. "Laura is trying to destroy me because I didn't take her side against my mother!"
"I don't fabricate data, Richard. I invest in it," I replied coldly. "You transferred eight hundred thousand dollars to an account registered under the name of Sarah Jenkins—your executive assistant."
Evelyn’s eyes went wide. "Sarah? That little girl from reception?!"
"Sarah was helping him lease an apartment in South Beach," I continued, looking directly at Richard. "You were planning to file for divorce next month, weren't you, Richard? You thought you were going to strip me of custody, claim I was an unemployed dependent, and leave me with nothing while you ran off to Florida."
Richard looked at the board, then at his mother, and finally at me. He had no excuses left. The paper trail was pristine, certified by federal auditors.
"You thought I was stupid," I said, standing up from the table. "You mistook my patience for weakness. You mistook my love for stupidity. I stayed because I wanted my daughters to have a family. But yesterday, when you let your mother starve my children and told me not to make a scene, you proved that you aren't a father, Richard. You're just a parasite."
"Laura, please!" Richard fell to his knees right there in the boardroom, grabbing at the edge of the table. "I was wrong! My mother influenced me! She always pushed me to be harder on you! It was her idea!"
"Richard!" Evelyn shrieked, betrayed by her own son. "How dare you blame me?!"
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"Shut up, Mother!" Richard roared back, tears streaming down his face. "You ruined my life! Laura, please, think of Sophie and Lily! We can fix this! We can be a real family!"
"The security guards will escort you both off the premises," I said to the room. "You have one hour to clear your personal belongings from the building."
