Chapter 3 - THE CONFESSION ON THE SCREEN
During the video call, Evan moved between rage and false tenderness.
One moment he called Claire ungrateful. The next, he reminded her of their wedding vows and promised they could “fix everything” if she returned with the copied files.
Claire kept him talking.
“Why did you change the voting agreement?” she asked.
“I corrected it.”
“You transferred my shares to yourself.”
“Because you are incapable of running that company.”
“And the offshore accounts?”
Evan’s eyes narrowed. “Your father put that idea in your head.”
Harrison remained visible behind Claire now. His hands were folded in front of him, but the stillness in his posture was more threatening than shouting.
Evan noticed him.
“You think your father is powerful?” he asked. “He signed half the authorizations I used.”
Harrison stepped closer to the laptop. “No, you forged them.”
For the first time, Evan looked uncertain.
Claire placed the second flash drive beside the computer.
Evan recognized it immediately.
His face drained of color.
“Where did you get that?”
“Behind the wall in your office.”
Evan stood so abruptly that his chair struck the floor.
“Destroy it.”
“That drive contains the account keys.”
“You have no idea what you’re holding.”
“I know it connects you to every stolen dollar.”
Evan began pacing. His eyes repeatedly moved toward the door behind him. “Claire, listen to me. Those accounts involve people you do not understand.”
Harrison exchanged a glance with someone outside the camera’s view.
“Who else is involved?” Claire asked.
Evan stopped.
Silence stretched between them.
Then his fear hardened back into aggression.
“You should have stayed quiet,” he said. “You should have signed the agreement and enjoyed your comfortable life.”
“You mean the life where you controlled every door I opened?”
“I mean the life I allowed you to have.”
Claire felt the old fear rising, but this time it had nowhere to take root. Her father was behind her. The general counsel was listening from another room. Detectives were recording every word.
“You can’t intimidate me anymore,” she said.
Evan leaned toward the screen.
“I can reach you anywhere.”
The door behind him opened wider.
Two uniformed officers stepped into the room.
Evan did not see them immediately. He was still staring at Claire.
“I will destroy you,” he said. “And when this is finished, everyone will believe you did it to yourself.”
One officer placed a hand near his belt.
“Evan Mercer,” he said. “Step away from the computer.”
Evan slowly turned.
The confidence vanished from his face.
He looked back at Claire through the laptop screen as though she had betrayed him.
“You called the police?”
May you like
Claire touched the bruise beneath her eye.
“No,” she answered. “I called witnesses.”
