Chapter 6 - The Inside Man
The room started spinning as the betrayal washed over me.
My lead corporate lawyer, Richard, was one of my most trusted advisors.
He had drafted the IPO documents and managed all my private trusts.
David laughed and said Richard had been on their payroll for over three years.
Richard had fed them every detail about our finances, our schedules, and our children.
My mother patted her carry-on bag proudly.
She said families look out for each other, and she was simply looking out for Paige.
Marcus asked David how he planned to prove the code was stolen.
David pulled a digital audio recorder from his pocket and pressed play.
A voice that sounded exactly like Marcus began speaking on the tape.
The voice confessed to copying David's files and hiding the evidence.
Marcus shouted that the recording was an absolute fake.
He said it had to be a sophisticated artificial intelligence deepfake generated by Richard.
David smirked and said a jury would never know the difference.
The fake recording would be enough to freeze our assets during the IPO.
My mother handed me a pen and pushed the settlement papers across the island.
She told me to sign over the trust fund and save my family from ruin.
I looked at the pen, then at the gun in David's hand.
I picked up the pen and held it tightly.
I told them I would sign, but only if Richard came here to witness it in person.
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David grinned greedily and sent a quick text message.
He proudly announced that Richard was already waiting in a car at the end of our street.
