Chapter 5 - THE TRAP IS SET
Julian listened to the recording in his private office, his expression unreadable. When the audio of Arthur threatening Clara played, Julian’s knuckles turned white where he gripped the armrests of his wheelchair.
"He's getting desperate," Julian noted, his voice dangerously calm. "He knows the quarterly gala is this Friday. He's planning to use the public platform to announce my medical retirement. He’s going to claim I’m suffering from paranoid delusions."
"We have the recording of the bribe," Clara said. "Isn't that enough?"
"It's enough to fire him, but it's not enough to put him in prison," Julian replied, leaning forward. "I want him in a cell, Clara. For what he did to my car. For what he tried to do to me. And for threatening you and Lily."
The inclusion of her and her daughter sent a warm, unexpected flutter through Clara’s chest. The ruthless billionaire was drawing a protective circle, and he had placed them right in the center of it.
"Lily found this," Clara said, changing the subject to hide her blush. She placed a small, black device on the mahogany desk. "She was playing hide-and-seek in the greenhouse. It was taped under the main potting bench."
Julian picked it up. "A long-range audio bug. Arthur's trying to listen in on my private conversations."
A slow, wicked smile spread across Julian's face—the kind of smile that made Wall Street bankers break out in a cold sweat.
"Clara," Julian said, his eyes gleaming with brilliant, calculating fire. "How good are you at acting?"
For the next three days, they put on a show. Whenever they were near the greenhouse or any other room they suspected was bugged, Julian would feign weakness. He would cough violently. He would loudly complain about his failing memory, his inability to read financial reports, and his overwhelming fatigue.
May you like
He even staged a fake phone call with his lawyer, tearfully admitting he might need to sign over power of attorney to Arthur before the gala.
In his own penthouse across the city, Arthur listened to the tapes and drank champagne, entirely convinced he had already won.
