Chapter 14 - The Fall of the Patriarch
The word Bennett dropped into the opulent boardroom like a detonated explosive.
Richard Kane’s face drained of color so fast he suddenly looked ten years older.
He whipped his head around, staring directly at Rose.
“That girl is a maid,” Richard hissed, his polished veneer cracking instantly.
“She knows nothing about corporate finance!”
“She’s a pawn you pulled off the service staff to stage a pathetic stunt!”
“She isn't a pawn, Richard,” a cold, synthesized voice echoed through the boardroom’s integrated overhead speakers.
Before anyone could react, the massive wall-mounted smart screen behind the board table flickered to life.
The secure satellite video feed connected directly to the federal prosecutor’s office in lower Manhattan.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus Vance—no relation to the trembling lawyer in the corner—appeared on screen, flanked by two federal agents in full tactical gear.
“Good morning, members of the Kane Global board,” the federal prosecutor announced clearly across the room.
“I am Assistant U.S. Attorney Vance.”
“This morning, my office received a fully decrypted master financial ledger from the Zurich subsidiary, authenticated by the cryptographic signature of the late Thomas Bennett.”
Richard staggered backward, his hands gripping the edge of the mahogany table so hard his knuckles turned white.
“This is a forgery!” Richard shouted, his voice cracking with panic.
“A conspiracy! He’s fabricating evidence!”
“The ledger is backed by wire transfer receipts, Swiss bank logs, and a signed confession from your Swiss co-conspirators dating back ten years,” the federal prosecutor continued, unbothered.
“Furthermore, financial forensics have linked corporate embezzlement funds directly to the homicide investigation of Thomas Bennett in Queens, as well as the vehicular homicide of Arthur and Eleanor Kane in Bern.”
The boardroom erupted into total chaos.
Board members stood up shouting over one another, papers flying across the table, while Martin Vance buried his face in his hands and wept silently.
Alexander remained seated, utterly motionless, watching his uncle slowly disintegrate before his eyes.
Richard looked around the room, realizing with horrifying clarity that every single exit had been sealed.
His eyes snapped back to Rose, burning with pure, unadulterated venom.
“You...” Richard choked out, taking a sudden, violent step toward her.
“You little rat—!”
Before Richard could take another step, the heavy mahogany doors behind him burst open.
Four federal marshals marched into the boardroom in synchronized strides.
Heavy steel handcuffs flashed in the brilliant sunlight streaming through the windows.
Two pairs of iron-hard hands grabbed Richard Kane by his bespoke shoulders, spinning him around and forcing his arms behind his back with brutal efficiency.
“Richard Kane,” the lead marshal announced loudly.
“You are under arrest for corporate embezzlement, conspiracy to commit fraud, and accessory to murder.”
“You have the right to remain silent...”
Richard didn't fight them.
He stopped struggling, his head hanging low, his expensive silk tie dangling loosely against his chest as the marshals dragged him backward toward the doors.
As he passed Rose, he lifted his head just an inch.
May you like
His gray eyes met hers one last time—not with anger anymore, but with a hollow, defeated emptiness.
Then the heavy oak doors closed behind him, cutting off the sound of his footsteps forever.
