Chapter 2 - The Signature
The sound of the lock clicking shut echoed like a gunshot in the silent room.
My stepmother, Rebecca, let out a pathetic, trembling gasp.
Madison immediately pulled out her phone, only to find she had absolutely no cellular signal.
"Mr. Vale, there must be a terrible misunderstanding," my father pleaded, sweat beading on his forehead.
"I have absolutely no knowledge of any weapons on my ships."
Dominic did not even look at him.
He kept his piercing gray gaze locked entirely on me.
"Is that true, Claire?" he asked.
"I only handle domestic logistics and internal accounts," I answered honestly, keeping my voice steady.
"My father personally signs off on all international freight manifests."
Dominic pulled a folded piece of paper from the inner pocket of his tailored suit jacket.
He tossed it onto the center of the dining table.
"Then explain this," Dominic said.
My father made no move to touch the document.
I stood up, walked down the length of the long table, and picked up the paper.
It was a copy of the official customs manifest for the intercepted cargo ship.
My eyes scanned the highly classified details, the container numbers, and the specific routing codes.
Then I reached the bottom of the page.
Right there, on the authorization line, was my exact signature.
I stared at the black ink, feeling the blood completely drain from my face.
"I did not sign this," I whispered, my voice shaking for the very first time.
"It has your name, your employee identification number, and your exact handwriting," Dominic pointed out coldly.
I turned to look at my father, who was suddenly refusing to meet my eyes.
"You forged my signature," I realized, the sheer betrayal hitting me like a physical blow.
My father nervously adjusted his expensive silk tie.
"Claire, you have always been so good at handling the company's little problems," he muttered weakly.
He had intentionally used my name on the illegal shipment so that if it was caught, the federal government would arrest me instead of him.
He had literally sold his own daughter to protect himself.
"I will give you whatever you want, Mr. Vale," my father begged desperately.
"You can have my company, my personal estates, anything you ask for."
Dominic slowly stood up, towering over my terrified father.
"I don't want your failing company, Charles," Dominic stated.
He walked around the table and stopped directly in front of me.
"I want her."
My stepmother gasped again, and my sisters stared at me in pure shock.
"She is the only person who can navigate the federal customs system well enough to get my cargo released," Dominic declared.
"If she fails, she takes the fall for the federal smuggling charges."
I looked up at Dominic, realizing I was trapped between a ruthless mafia boss and a twenty-year prison sentence.
"And if I refuse to help you?" I asked him.
May you like
Dominic leaned down, his lips brushing dangerously close to my ear.
"Then I open that dining room door, and we let the Russian cartel assassins waiting in the hallway deal with your family."
