Chapter 6 - THE CONTRACT OF RUIN
He opened the folder with trembling fingers.
He read the first page,
then the second.
His face turned a sickly shade of gray.
The documents proved that the original funding for his firm had come from a trust,
a trust that was contingent on his fidelity.
My father had written the clause into the investment contract twenty years ago.
"Infidelity resulting in the misappropriation of family funds results in immediate forfeiture of all executive powers and personal assets derived from said investment."
Adrian had signed it when he was twenty-five.
He was so hungry for power then that he didn't care about the fine print.
He thought he would always be able to hide his tracks.
He thought he was too smart for a piece of paper to catch him.
"This can't be legal,"
he whispered.
"It is very legal,"
I said.
"And the board has already ratified it."
He sank into the armchair,
the same chair where he used to sit and tell me about his day.
The same chair where he used to lie to my face.
"I did it for the company,"
he stammered.
"I needed to keep the image up."
"Julianne was just a tool."
"You're still lying,
Adrian,"
I said.
"Even now,
when you've lost everything,
you can't tell the truth."
"Julianne wasn't a tool."
"You were."
"She used you for your money,
and you used me for my name."
"But the difference is,
I'm the one who owns the name."
He looked around the room,
at the art on the walls,
the books on the shelves.
He realized he was a stranger in this house.
He was a guest who had overstayed his welcome.
"Where will I go?"
he asked,
his voice small.
"That's not my concern anymore,"
I said.
"You called me safe,
Adrian."
"You thought safety meant I wouldn't fight."
"But safety also means I have a place to stay when you're gone."
"And you don't."
I stood up and walked toward the stairs.
"Your things are in the garage."
"The ones I didn't donate to charity."
"The car is waiting."
"Don't come back."
He didn't move for a long time.
He just sat there,
holding the folder that recorded his downfall.
May you like
The man who thought he controlled the world,
couldn't even control his own breathing.
