Chapter 4 - The Counter-Strike
Victor didn't panic. Instead, he slowly folded the papers in half, stood up, and adjusted his cuffs.
"You think a few audio files and bank statements will hold up in court, Adrian?" Victor sneered, leaning over the table toward me. "I own half the judiciary in this state. By noon, my legal team will have an injunction freezing all your corporate accounts. Your stock will plummet twenty percent the moment the market opens, and the scandal of your wife being arrested in your home will drag Cole Dynamics into the gutter."
He took three steps toward the door before Marcus blocked his path, flanked by two NYPD detectives who stepped into the boardroom.
"Victor Sloane," Detective Miller announced, producing a federal warrant. "You are under arrest for corporate espionage, conspiracy to commit extortion, child endangerment, and wire fraud."
As the handcuffs clicked around Victor's wrists, he leaned closer to me, whispering so only I could hear: "You still don't get it, Adrian. Lena didn't sell you out for money. She sold you out because she hates you. Check your personal vault before you celebrate."
The detectives led Victor away. The boardroom erupted into chaotic shouting among the remaining directors, but I walked out without saying another word, heading straight back to my private office.
Inside, Arthur was kneeling before the wall safe, using an emergency bypass code provided by the software developer. The heavy steel door swung open.
The master source code drives were still inside. But sitting on top of them was a single manila envelope labeled: COLUMBIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - MATERNITY WING.
My hands trembled as I opened the clasp and pulled out the medical records dated twelve years ago—the month Noah was born.
Inside were DNA panel results, blood type cross-references, and a signed non-disclosure agreement between Lena and a private fertility clinic in upstate New York.
My eyes scanned down the page to the section marked Biological Father.
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The name listed wasn't Adrian Cole.
It was Victor Sloane.
