Chapter 8 - The Confrontation at Five-Thirty
The VIP lounge on the twentieth floor was dimly lit, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass offering a sweeping view of the city skyline. Julian was sitting at a corner booth, a glass of expensive scotch in his hand, tapping his fingers impatiently on the polished oak table.
The heavy glass doors slid open, and Claire walked in alone.
Julian smiled, a cold, triumphant expression that didn't reach his eyes. He motioned for her to sit down across from him.
"You're five minutes early," Julian said, taking a slow sip of his drink. "I like punctuality. It shows you've accepted reality."
Claire sat down, keeping her hands visible on top of the table. "I want your word that you will release the lien on my mother's property."
"Already prepared," Julian said, sliding an envelope across the table toward her. "Sign the dissolution papers inside, give me the drive, and you walk away with enough cash to keep your mother comfortable for a year. Consider it a severance package."
Claire looked at the white envelope. The weight of three years of suffering, hiding, and manual labor was sitting right in front of her, wrapped in a neat corporate bow.
She pulled the silver USB drive from her pocket and set it on the glass table.
Julian’s eyes lit up. He reached for it immediately, but Claire placed her palm over it, pressing it down.
"One condition," Claire said, staring directly into his eyes. "Tell me why. Why did you frame my father? He treated you like a son."
Julian’s smile faded, replaced by a flat, unfeeling stare. "Your father was weak, Claire. He had access to capital he was too timid to use. I needed a foundation, and he was in the way. It was just business. It was never personal."
"It was my life," Claire said softly.
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"And now you get it back," Julian said, pulling the drive out from beneath her hand. "Don't be dramatic."
He immediately pulled a slim laptop from his leather briefcase and inserted the drive into the USB port. The screen flickered as the system read the drive.
