Chapter 8 - The Hallway Confrontation
|
During the recess, I was assigned a court-appointed attorney, a sharp, no-nonsense woman named Sarah. She reviewed my files in awe, muttering that she had never seen a client build a more airtight trap. After our brief meeting, I stepped out into the bustling courthouse hallway to get a coffee.
Victoria was waiting near the elevators. David and Cameron were nowhere in sight, likely arguing in a private room.
Victoria looked much smaller without her aggressive courtroom posture. The designer dress suddenly seemed to hang awkwardly on her frame.
“Eleanor,” she said, her voice shaking slightly.
I stopped, leaning on my cane, letting the silence stretch until she squirmed.
“I didn’t know about the one hundred and twenty thousand dollars,” she pleaded, her eyes wide with manufactured innocence.
“Is that right?” I replied coldly.
“I swear to you. I knew David moved some money around, but he told me you had explicitly agreed to it. He said Arthur wanted him to have it to expand the business.”
“And you blindly believed him?”
“At first! I did.”
“And later?” I pressed, stepping closer.
She looked away, unable to hold my gaze. “That’s... more complicated.”
“Most dangerous lies are. Try explaining it.”
Victoria clutched her expensive handbag like a shield. “Beacon Point was in massive debt. My brother Evan made some terrible real estate bets just before material costs skyrocketed. We were going under. David said your father had always intended to bail us out if things got rough.”
“Arthur is dead, Victoria.”
“I know that.”
“Then Arthur cannot authorize six-figure wire transfers from my private account.”
May you like
She flinched as if I had struck her. “I know that now.”
“No, Victoria,” I said, my voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. “You are a smart woman. You knew that then. You just didn't care, because you thought I was too weak to fight back.”
