Chapter 6 - Shadows of the Past
Desperation makes people do terrible things.
As the reality of Clara’s ownership set in, Richard realized he was about to lose everything.
If Clara took control, she would have access to the company’s financial records. She would see the millions he had stolen from the pension fund.
He needed to stop her, immediately.
"She’s unstable!" Richard shouted, standing up and pointing a trembling finger at Clara. "My son’s death drove her mad. She is unfit to run a company, and she is certainly unfit to raise my grandchildren!"
Clara’s eyes narrowed.
"Careful, Richard," Audrey warned, stepping slightly in front of Clara.
"I will call Child Protective Services!" Richard roared, his face purple with rage. "I will tell them you’re living in a cheap motel, dragging six children through the dirt! You have no income! I will take those kids from you, Clara, I swear to God!"
Eleanor nodded fiercely, chiming in. "We are their blood relatives. Any judge will see that a wealthy, stable home in Lake Forest is better than whatever gutter you've dragged them to."
A heavy, oppressive silence fell over the boardroom.
The board members watched the ugly family drama unfold, utterly paralyzed.
For a brief, terrifying second, Clara remembered the feeling of the freezing rain.
She remembered the fear of not knowing how she would feed her babies.
Richard was trying to use her deepest trauma as a weapon against her.
But Clara was no longer the frightened girl who had married into their cruel family.
She stood tall, reaching into her leather briefcase.
"You want to talk about stability, Richard?" Clara asked, her voice echoing in the large room.
She pulled out a second stack of papers—the contents of the yellow folder.
"Let’s talk about the Lake Forest estate," Clara said, tossing a document across the table.
It slid perfectly into Richard's hands.
He looked down, his eyes scanning the page.
It was the deed.
"Mark bought that house from the trust two years ago," Clara announced to the room. "He put it in my name. You don’t own the house you’re sleeping in, Richard. You are a guest in my home."
Eleanor let out a sharp gasp, clutching her pearl necklace as if she were choking.
"That’s impossible!" Eleanor shrieked. "Mark would never do that without telling us!"
"Mark knew exactly what kind of people you were," Clara replied coldly. "He knew that the moment he was gone, you would try to discard his family. He spent his final months making sure you could never hurt us."
Clara took a step closer to Richard, her gaze unrelenting.
"You want to call Child Protective Services? Go ahead. Tell them the majority shareholder of Sterling Enterprise, who resides in a luxury penthouse, is unfit. Let's see how fast they laugh you out of the courtroom."
Richard’s hands shook uncontrollably.
The illusion of his power, his wealth, and his control was shattering into a million pieces right in front of his peers.
He had no leverage left.
"You bitch," he whispered maliciously.
Before anyone could react, Clara moved.
She didn't raise her hand to strike him. She didn't yell.
May you like
She simply leaned down, her face inches from his ear, so only he could hear her next words.
"We haven't even gotten to the pension funds yet, Richard."
