Then came the accusation about the bracelet, the command to scrub on my knees, the splash, and her laughter.
Julian looked as if someone had struck him.
Chloe lunged for the recorder, but I closed my hand over it.
“That recording is backed up,” I said.
“So what?” she snapped. “You think one bad afternoon cancels everything? Julian loves me. The wedding is in six days. Everyone is attending.”
“Not anymore,” Julian said.
She spun toward him. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do.”
Fear entered her eyes.
“Then you’ll regret it,” she hissed. “I have signed contracts in both our names. The venue, designers, honeymoon villa—nearly nine hundred thousand dollars. Cancel now, and your family pays.”
That was my confirmation.
Chloe had insisted Julian authorize her to manage wedding expenses through a special account. He believed the account contained his money. It did not. My attorneys had funded it with a traceable reserve after Elena reported pressure on vendors to inflate invoices.
“Which contracts?” I asked.
“All of them.”
“And the commissions?”
Her eyes narrowed.
I called our general counsel, Arthur Vance. He answered on speaker.
“We have confirmation,” I told him.
“Understood,” he said. “The fraudulent payment requests are frozen. Investigators are ready.”
Julian looked at me. “Fraudulent?”
Arthur continued. “Ms. Vale directed three vendors to add false consulting fees totaling two hundred forty thousand dollars. The fees were routed to an agency owned by her brother.”
Chloe stepped backward. “That is a lie.”
I placed bank records on the table. “Your brother’s agency was formed eleven days after your engagement.”
Julian picked them up and seemed to age.
Chloe forced tears.
“Julian, your mother hates me. She set this up.”
“No,” he said quietly. “She gave you privacy. You showed her who you are.”
Her tears stopped.
“You weak little boy,” she spat. “Without me, you’re nothing but your mother’s obedient heir.”
I met her gaze.
“Your final mistake. Julian is not my successor because of blood. He earned that position through integrity. And the trust you planned to access after marriage cannot be touched by any spouse.”
Sirens sounded beyond the gates.
Chloe looked toward the windows.
I had not called Julian down merely to expose cruelty.
I had called him down to watch her entire plan collapse.
