Chapter 15 - The Vulture's Nest
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Julian did not go back to Ohio. Driven by a volatile mixture of humiliation and greed, he checked into a cheap motel on the outskirts of Chicago and immediately began hunting for a weapon. He found one in the form of Trent Willis, a sleazy, freelance tabloid journalist notorious for writing aggressive hit pieces on wealthy public figures.
Two days after the lobby incident, Marcus placed a printed dossier on my desk.
"Julian met with Trent Willis at a diner in the South Loop yesterday afternoon," Marcus reported, his expression grim. "Willis is known for operating in the ethical gray areas of journalism. He pays for unverified rumors and spins them into sensationalist clickbait."
"What is Julian's angle?" I asked, reviewing the dossier.
"He is claiming that you maliciously abandoned your impoverished mother on her deathbed," Marcus explained. "He is alleging that you stole family funds ten years ago to start your corporate empire, and that you are now refusing to pay him his rightful share of the estate. Willis is preparing to publish the story on a major digital tabloid network tomorrow morning."
I leaned back in my leather chair, steepling my fingers.
"Julian is trying to leverage my public reputation against me," I observed calmly. "He thinks that because I run a philanthropic foundation, I will be terrified of a public relations scandal. He expects me to offer a massive cash settlement to kill the story before it goes live."
"We can have the legal team file an emergency injunction for defamation," Marcus suggested. "We can bury Willis in cease-and-desist letters by noon."
"No," I said, a dangerous clarity settling over my mind.
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"Sir?" Marcus asked, clearly surprised.
"If we suppress the story, it looks like a cover-up. It gives Julian power, and he will just come back next year demanding more," I explained. "Let them publish it. Let Julian fire his best shot. We will not negotiate with terrorists, Marcus. We will simply expose them."
