Chapter 2 - The Co-Founder's Betrayal
Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital under a private, armed security detail. Arthur moved me, the twins, and a trusted night nurse into one of Julian’s unlisted properties—a fortified penthouse overlooking the city.
The physical pain of my C-section was fading, but the emotional betrayal was just beginning to truly sink in.
Arthur sat across from me at the massive dining table, spreading out a dozen manila folders.
“Edward and Jason are sitting in county lockup,” Arthur began, pouring me a cup of black tea. “No bail. The kidnapping charge alone carries twenty years. But when the detectives raided Edward's home office, they found the real conspiracy.”
He pushed a heavily redacted contract toward me.
“Edward didn't have the legal knowledge or the corporate access to draft the documents he tried to force you to sign in the hospital. He had an inside man.”
My stomach dropped. I thought of the funeral. I thought of the man who had stood at the podium, weeping as he eulogized my husband.
“Marcus,” I breathed.
Arthur nodded grimly. Marcus Thorne had been Julian’s business partner for ten years. They had built the tech firm from a garage startup into a multi-billion-dollar empire.
“Marcus forged your initials on a preliminary asset transfer the night Julian died,” Arthur explained. “He altered the hospital visitor logs to ensure Edward and Jason had unquestioned access to your maternity ward. Marcus wants the company, and he promised your stepfather a twenty-percent cut of Julian’s liquid assets if they could terrify you into signing over your voting shares.”
I looked down at Chloe and Leo, sleeping peacefully in a double bassinet nearby. The man who had bought them their first customized cribs had tried to sell them out.
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“What do we do?” I asked, my voice hardening.
“Marcus is calling an emergency board meeting tomorrow,” Arthur said, his eyes gleaming with a predatory light. “He plans to announce your 'tragic mental breakdown' and seize CEO powers. I say we let him dig his own grave.”
