Chapter 6 - THE FINAL SETTLEMENTDominic scrambled to his feet, his face contorted with rage and desperation. "Evelyn! You can't do this! We’re partners! We built this together!"
"No, Dominic," Evelyn said calmly, walking toward the desk and placing a single manila folder down on the cracked glass. "I built a corporation. You built a house of cards, and you invited your mistress to live in the attic."
She opened the folder, revealing a neatly typed settlement agreement already signed by corporate trustees, federal investigators, and... Julian Cross.
"What is that?" Dominic whispered, staring at the bold print at the top of the page.
"That is your resignation," Evelyn replied evenly. "And your complete forfeiture of all shares in Vale Holdings, effective right now. In exchange, the federal prosecutors have agreed to narrow the scope of the fraud investigation to corporate mismanagement rather than direct criminal conspiracy. You walk away with your freedom, Dominic. But you leave with nothing else. Not a car, not a watch, not a single cent."
Vanessa gasped, clutching her chest. "You can't leave us with nothing! We’ll be ruined!"
Evelyn turned her cool, analytical gaze toward the younger woman, her eyes reflecting the cold lights of the city below. "My mother told me never to confuse being needed with being valued, Vanessa. You wanted my husband, and you wanted my life. Now you have him. Enjoy the view from the bottom."
Dominic lunged across the desk, his fingers clawing toward Evelyn’s throat in a blind, animalistic fury. "I'll kill you! I'll—"
Before his hands could even come close, the heavy oak doors of the office flew open. Two massive security guards—not Dominic's men, but Julian Cross’s private detail—pinned Dominic face-down onto the glass desk with terrifying efficiency.
May you like
Julian stepped into the room, adjusting his cuffs, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"Bad manners, Vale," Julian murmured, walking over to stand beside Evelyn. He looked down at Dominic with absolute contempt. "Never raise your hands against a woman who holds all your debt."
