Chapter 3 - The Forged Signature
I froze, staring down the barrel of the weapon held by the daughter I never knew I had.
“You know who I am?” I asked, keeping my hands perfectly still.
“Everyone knows the ruthless Nathan Whitmore,” Lily sneered, taking a calculated step closer.
“But I am the only one who knows you ordered the fire that killed my mother.”
The accusation hit me like a physical blow to the stomach.
“I loved your mother more than anything in this world,” I protested firmly.
“I would never do anything to hurt her.”
Lily’s eyes flashed with furious tears as she tossed the manila folder onto the wet pavement.
“Then explain why the syndicate thugs who harassed me are carrying your corporate documents,” she demanded.
I slowly knelt down and picked up the scattered papers.
It was a series of bank transfer authorizations, paying an arsonist to burn down a building in San Francisco.
At the bottom of the final page was my distinct, personal signature stamp.
My heart pounded as I studied the blue ink.
“Lily, this is a forgery,” I said quietly.
“I did not sign this document, and I did not pay these men.”
She kept the gun raised, her finger resting dangerously on the trigger.
“Why should I believe a billionaire who abandoned my mother at a train station?” she asked bitterly.
“Because there is only one other person in the world who has access to this specific signature stamp,” I explained.
“It is my Vice President, Arthur Vance.”
Lily hesitated, the fierce determination in her eyes faltering for a brief second.
“Arthur has been trying to force me out of my own company for years,” I continued, taking a slow step forward.
“He must have found out about Mei and used her to create blackmail material against me.”
I looked deeply into Lily’s eyes, seeing the same desperate hope her mother used to carry.
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“Lower the gun, and I swear on my life I will help you destroy the man who actually killed her.”
Lily slowly lowered the weapon, but before she could speak, a red laser sight appeared directly on her chest.
