Chapter 5 - The Price of Ruin
The meeting took place in a small, windowless interrogation room at the Toronto South Detention Centre.
Daniel sat across from me, separated by a thick pane of plexiglass. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit that clashed horribly with his pale, gray skin. The charm was gone. The bravado was gone. He looked seventy years old.
"You really did it," he said, his voice hollow through the intercom. "You took everything. My company. My house. My reputation. Even my name."
"It was never your company, Daniel," I said, holding the receiver to my ear. "And the house was paid for by my mother's estate. As for your reputation... you gave that away the moment you thought you were smart enough to steal from me."
"I have nothing left," he whispered. "The lawyers say I'm looking at ten to fifteen years for corporate fraud and embezzlement. Chloe is already talking to the crown prosecutors. She's blaming everything on me."
"Of course she is," I said. "Loyalty is an expensive luxury, Daniel. Neither of you could afford it."
He leaned closer to the glass, his eyes begging. "Victoria... please. For the sake of what we used to have. Talk to your father. Tell the prosecutors to drop the private charges. I'll sign over the remaining shares. I'll leave the country. I'll disappear. Just don't let them keep me in here."
I looked at him, searching my heart for any lingering trace of the love I had felt for him for twelve years. I wanted to see if there was some small, forgotten ember of warmth.
There was nothing. Just cold, clean ash.
"Do you remember our wedding day, Daniel?" I asked.
He nodded quickly, a desperate spark of hope in his eyes. "Yes. Yes, of course. It was beautiful. You wore your grandmother's veil."
"My father told you something that day, right before we walked down the aisle," I said. "Do you remember what it was?"
Daniel's face fell. The spark of hope vanished.
"He told you," I continued, "that the Whitmore family protects its own. But he also told you that if you ever broke my heart, he would make sure you didn't have a name left to carry. You laughed. You thought it was just a father being dramatic."
"Victoria, please..."
"You should have listened, Daniel," I said. "My family doesn't make empty threats. We make investments. And we always collect our interest."
May you like
I hung up the receiver.
I stood up, smoothed the front of my trench coat, and walked out of the room without looking back.
