Chapter Seventy Three

Even long after the boardroom door had closed, Victor's parting remarks remained with Damian.

Your father wasn't the only one who signed someone's future away.

Damian remained motionless in the hall, considering the threat. For a long time, Victor had used his brother's notoriety to protect his own position. His confidence began to crack as the board questioned the statement's authenticity.

The appearance in Victor's eyes, however, was not that of a defeated guy.

It had been the gaze of a guy getting ready to destroy the evidence before it could destroy him.

Emily noticed the change in Damian's expression. She had witnessed his anger, withdrawal, and great uncertainty regarding their connection. This was different. He appeared to be a guy who had eventually understood the extent to which his uncle would go.

Damian's eyes remained on the closed doors, even as she stretched for his hand.

She paused for a second, wondering if he had perceived something in Victor's caution that he was not prepared to divulge at this point.

Then, holding her hand firmly, he spun around to face her.

Whatever happened next, he wouldn't let Victor frighten her into keeping quiet.

The board had postponed its vote, but the damage was already spreading. Some directors had begun to doubt Damian's judgment, while others were concerned that an inquiry would expose years of unreported financial misbehavior. Victor still had friends inside Knight Global, and the company's future had unexpectedly become precarious.

More than anyone else, Sophia understood the risk. She immediately made plans to protect Thomas's statement and the remaining financial records for the independent investigators. She also made it evident that no one should alter, erase, or ruin any of the company's documents.

Without opposition, Thomas worked together. Fear had persuaded him that it was safer to remain silent than to speak up for a long time. He was now prepared to tell the authorities all he had seen, including the command that had driven him away from Emily's parents' house on the night they passed away.

He was unable to determine who caused their deaths. However, he was able to prove that someone had intentionally taken the family's security and that paperwork had since gone missing from the study.

That distinction was significant to Emily. She didn't want any more theatrical accusations or comforting guesses. She desired information that was solid enough to withstand influence and Victor's lawyers.

Ryan was strangely quiet when they left the building. Margaret's financial dealings might shed light on a previously unknown chapter of the family's past, and her father's participation could not be ignored. He could no longer pretend that only Victor was responsible for everything that had gone wrong.

Nonetheless, the most agonizing reality was still a private one. Ryan was once trusted by Emily in all areas of her life. Ryan now had to witness the future he had destroyed take form without him as she walked next to Damian.

The late afternoon breeze blew over the street outdoors. Emily gently turned down Damian's offer of his coat. She didn't want to be perceived as brittle simply because the scenario scared her.

Without arguing, Damian agreed with her choice.

Despite its modesty, Emily spotted it. He began to realize that loving her meant honoring her choices, even when his natural inclination was to protect her from everything.

However, the unanswered question remained between them. He also knew she thought he was the father, and he knew about her pregnancy. The timing, however, did not help to allay the doubt. While he waited for certainty on the other side, Emily was unable to continue closing the space between them.

Although she loved him, their relationship could not survive on love alone if trust remained contingent.

Damian returned to Knight Global that evening to consult with his legal team. Emily joined Sophia to go through the papers that would be given to the police. Even though they both knew Victor's next action might come from any direction, neither of them wanted to be divided.

For a few hours, there was nothing.

Sophia was then informed that the contentious statement had been forwarded for forensic review. The paper records, transaction references, and signature would be compared to certified company documents by the researchers. It was the first meaningful step towards determining whether Victor had purposefully changed the comment.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't justice just yet, but it was a step in the right direction.

As Sophia was about to leave, her phone rang. She sat back down on the nearest seat as she asked the caller to repeat the information as she listened.

Emily sensed immediately that something had happened.

Investigators had discovered a payment associated with the contentious declaration. It had passed via one of Victor's linked businesses and into a Margaret Carter-linked account. Emily's parents were preparing to provide their evidence to the police at the same time as the payment date.

No evidence was discovered to imply that Margaret planned their murders. It did, however, imply that she was aware of more information about the financial plan than she had revealed.

Emily's chest felt a familiar agony. Since her parents passed away, Margaret had taken on the role of adult in charge of her safety. Emily wasn't sure if she could ever look at her in the same way again if she had kept anything that may have helped to explain their deaths.

Before making any assumptions, Sophia promised to get the original paperwork. They wouldn't allow another suspicious admission to become an unquestionable charge.

Damian called Emily at nightfall while she was alone in Sophia's apartment's living room.

As she picked the call, she listened without interfering, Emily paid attention. She didn't rush to soothe him or tell him that everything would be well for the first time.

After the conversation concluded, she stood near the window, her hand subconsciously touching her tummy.

She hoped that the worst was over. She wished to believe that the truth regarding her parents would finally bring peace instead of another injury, and that Damian would prioritize trust over fear.

Then she received another phone call.

The screen displayed Sophia's name.

Emily picked up at once.

Sophia sounded shaken. “A verified transfer instruction that had not been included in prior records was a fresh piece of evidence that the investigators had acquired from the financial review,” she said.

“Margaret Carter's signature was on it,” she added.

But that signature wasn't on a transfer completed after Emily's parents passed away.

The date on it was the day before they died.

Additionally, the order had a handwritten note that froze Emily's blood:

"Make sure there are no guards at the Carter residence by midnight.”