Chapter 6 - Grandfather Arthur's Wrath
Before Richard could formulate a defense, the elevator doors at the end of the hall opened with a smooth chime. Grandfather Arthur stepped out, accompanied not only by his cane, but by three men in bespoke dark suits carrying leather briefcases, and the Chief of Police for the metropolitan district.
Arthur walked with the measured, terrifying cadence of an ancient emperor coming to execute a traitor. He stopped two feet in front of Richard.
“You coward,” Arthur whispered. The word carried more weight than a gunshot.
“Father, please,” Richard stammered, his hands shaking violently as he tried to adjust his jacket. “This is a misunderstanding. The doctors are lying—they are making wild accusations based on speculative data! I fell, Sarah tripped, it was an accident!”
“I built the Sterling Empire from nothing, Richard,” Arthur said, his voice trembling with controlled fury. “Do you honestly believe I don't have eyes inside my own house? I reviewed the high-definition security footage with Chief Harrison twenty minutes ago. The cameras captured everything. The audio recorded every syllable.”
Arthur turned slightly toward one of his attorneys, who immediately opened a leather folder and pulled out a stack of legal documents.
“At eight o'clock this evening, Richard, you held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Global Holdings. You held power of attorney over three family trusts. You had an unlimited corporate credit line, and you were slated to inherit forty percent of my personal estate upon my passing.”
Arthur snatched the papers from his attorney’s hands and threw them directly into Richard’s face. The crisp white sheets fluttered through the air, slapping against Richard’s chest before scattering across the linoleum floor.
“As of twelve minutes ago, an emergency board meeting concluded via encrypted teleconference,” Arthur stated, his voice ringing with absolute finality. “You have been terminated with cause from all executive positions. All corporate accounts have been frozen. Your power of attorney is revoked. And I have executed a codicil to my last will and testament.”
Evelyn gasped, clutching her throat. “Arthur! You can’t do that! What about me? What about Chloe?”
Arthur turned his gaze upon his daughter-in-law, his eyes like arctic ice. “You stood at the top of the stairs, Evelyn, watching your pregnant child bleed onto the floor, and you called her a liar. You mocked her agony. You are just as rotten as the parasite you married.”
Arthur looked back at Richard, who was now clutching his chest, breathing in ragged, shallow gasps as the crushing weight of reality came crashing down upon him.
“Every single asset in my estate—every property, every portfolio, every stock, totaling over three hundred million dollars—has been placed into an irrevocable blind trust,” Arthur declared. “The sole and exclusive beneficiaries of that trust are Sarah, Mark, and their newborn children. You, Evelyn, and Chloe are disinherited entirely. You will leave my property tonight. You will not take a single car, a single piece of jewelry that was purchased with Sterling funds, or a single cent.”
“Father!” Richard fell to his knees, his face drenched in sweat, his liver already failing under the massive surge of stress and adrenaline. “I am dying! You heard the doctor! I have months to live!”
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“Then I suggest you spend those months making your peace with God,” Arthur said coldly, turning his back on him. “Because on this earth, there is no mercy left for you.”
***
