Chapter 6 - Rising from the Ashes
Claire looked at Roman’s outstretched hand. His palm bore the faint calluses of a man who had fought for every inch of power he held.
Without hesitation, Claire placed her trembling hand into his. Roman’s grip was warm, solid, and immovable as iron. With effortless strength, he lifted her to her feet, supporting her weight until she found her balance on her heels.
Standing beside Roman Vale, Claire looked transformed. Her dress was stained and her hair was loose, but her head was held high. The fragile, broken victim Grant had tried to portray had vanished entirely.
Grant was hyperventilating now. "Mr. Vale... what are you doing? Why are you protecting her? Who is she to you?!"
Roman didn't answer right away. He reached into his breast pocket and produced a sleek, titanium flash drive, along with a thick stack of certified legal briefs bound in red tape. He tossed them onto a nearby silver serving tray with a dismissive clatter.
"Seven years ago, Mr. Holloway," Roman said, his dark eyes narrowing into slits, "a young logistics engineer patented an encrypted naval routing code. Vale Meridian tried to buy that code for forty million dollars. The engineer refused, wanting to keep her intellectual property independent."
Roman looked at Claire, a subtle nod of deep admiration passing between them.
"That engineer was Claire Bennett," Roman continued, turning back to Grant with disgust. "I respected her refusal. I monitored her career. And when you claimed to have invented that code three months ago to solicit twenty million dollars of Vale Meridian’s venture capital... I knew immediately you were a thief."
Grant staggered back against the marble banister of the grand staircase. "No... no, the audit cleared me! My lawyers—"
"Your lawyers were paid with embezzled funds," Roman said coldly. "And the anonymous whistleblower who handed the Department of Justice your offshore accounts wasn't a stranger."
Claire stepped forward, reaching into her beaded clutch.
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👉 What did Claire hand over that destroyed Grant’s last remaining defense?
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