Chapter 6 - The Traitor In The Glass Tower

The morning of December 26th broke cold and crisp over Lake Washington. Downstairs in the secure command center, Declan sat in front of a wall of high-definition monitors, his shoulder bandaged beneath a dark tailored suit.
I walked down holding James, who was dressed in a soft grey cashmere sleeper. Declan immediately stood up, offering me his seat, his eyes never leaving our son.
"We intercepted Arthur Vance's digital bank logs," Marcus reported, pointing to a screen displaying wire transfers from offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. "Vance has been funneling money from Julian Rowan’s shell companies for three years. The custody document you found in July, Mrs. Rowan—it was created by Vance and planted on Declan’s desk while Declan was in Europe. Vance wanted you to find it."
"Why?" I asked, sitting down carefully.
"Because as long as you were married to Declan, you were a stabilizing force," Marcus explained. "Declan was planning to restructure the Rowan Trust to give you fifty percent voting control upon his death. Julian and Vance couldn't allow that. They needed you to leave Declan. Planting that fake custody threat was the fastest way to make an honorable woman run for the hills."
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. The five months of pain, the nights spent crying alone in the Maple Street cottage, the terror of hiding my pregnancy—it had all been manufactured by a greedy lawyer and a jealous stepbrother.
"They used my power against me," Declan said, standing beside my chair, his hand resting gently on the back of my seat. "They knew you were afraid of what my wealth could do to a child. They crafted a weapon out of your worst nightmare."
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"And what happens now?" I asked, looking up at him. "Midnight on December thirty-first is in five days. Julian still holds executive proxy until the annual shareholder meeting."
Declan leaned down, his face inches from mine, his green eyes flashing with a terrifying, brilliant brilliance. "Now, Clara... we don't just defend. We take back everything they tried to steal from our son."