Chapter 6 - The Broken Alliance"This is absurd!" Julian sputtered, his voice escalating as he tried to regain control of the room. "You’re accusing me of something based on... what? A piece of ear debris? I have poured millions of my own sister’s memorial fund into Leo’s care! I brought the finest neurologists in the hemisphere to this estate!"
"You brought Dr. Nathan Vance," Christian countered, taking another step forward, forcing Julian’s lawyers to back away toward the hallway. "Your second cousin. The man whose signature is on the falsified surgical report from the night Sophia died. Dr. Wallace sent this pellet to the forensic lab at the Department of Justice three hours ago. The polymer carries a patent registered to a biomedical startup owned entirely by your holding company."
Julian’s eyes darted frantically toward Leo, who was now clutching Clara’s hand tightly, disturbed by the harsh, abrasive tone of his uncle’s voice.
"Clara," Christian said without looking back, "take Leo upstairs to the playroom. Turn on the music player Sophia left behind. Let him hear his mother’s piano."
"Yes, Mr. Ashford," Clara replied gently. She lifted Leo into her arms, whispering calming words into his ear as she carried him up the sweeping staircase.
Once the boy was out of earshot, Christian’s demeanor shifted from restrained grief to absolute fury. "You didn't just steal Sophia's shares, Julian. You robbed my son of five years of speech. You robbed him of hearing my voice telling him I loved him while he mourned his mother. You kept him in a dark, silent cage so you could sign proxies on Ashford Global."
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"You couldn't handle the company after she died!" Julian snarled, his mask slipping completely, revealing the bitter jealousy that had festered for decades. "You were weak! You spent months locked in this mausoleum while the board was falling apart! I saved our family legacy!"
"You didn't save anything," Christian said coldly. "You destroyed whatever soul you had left. And now, you have one hour to leave this property before federal marshals arrive with an arrest warrant for child endangerment, medical fraud, and corporate embezzlement."
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