Chapter 5 - The Lion's Den
Z
We didn't wait for Elias to come to us. We went to the belly of the beast.
The Kane Foundation headquarters was a towering monolith of black glass in the Financial District. I walked through the double doors with Mia's hand tightly clutched in mine, Adrian flanking my other side like a heavily armored guard. The whispers started immediately. Heads turned. Assistants paused mid-step.
Elias was waiting in the boardroom, sitting at the head of the long mahogany table like a king on a dark throne. He was older than I remembered from the magazines, leaning heavily on a silver-tipped cane, but his eyes were exactly like Julian's. The realization sent a sharp pang through my chest.
"So," Elias sneered as we entered. "The gold-digger finally comes into the light."
"Stop right there," Adrian warned, his voice cracking like a whip. "You will speak to her with respect."
Elias ignored him, fixing his gaze on Mia. Mia, sensing the hostility, shrank behind my legs, clutching her stuffed elephant.
"She looks weak," Elias observed coldly. "Julian's softness. Come here, child."
"Don't you dare speak to her that way," I snapped, the maternal rage finally burning through my terror. I stepped in front of Mia, meeting the billionaire's gaze. "I didn't hide her for money, Mr. Kane. I hid her because I knew exactly what kind of monster you were. Julian warned me about you."
Elias stood up, leaning over the table. "You have no right to speak my son’s name. You stole my flesh and blood. You deprived me of my heir for seven years. I will take you to court, girl. I will bury you so deep in legal fees you'll be begging to surrender her to me."
"You won't do anything of the sort," Adrian interjected smoothly, pulling a thick Manila envelope from his briefcase and tossing it onto the table. It slid perfectly to a stop in front of Elias.
"What is this?" Elias barked.
May you like
"Leverage," Adrian replied. "A complete, unredacted audit of the Foundation’s offshore holdings. The ones you routed through Julian’s name without his knowledge before he died. The ones I spent the last three years untangling."
The color drained from Elias's face.
