Chapter 10: The Signature That Wasn't Mine
For a moment, nobody moved.
The airport terminal was filled with the sound of travelers walking past us, announcements echoing overhead, and luggage wheels rolling across the polished floor.
But all I could hear was my own heartbeat.
Those documents.
Those signatures.
That day three years ago.
The day everything changed.
I remembered it clearly.
I remembered sitting in my office after a twelve-hour negotiation.
I remembered being exhausted.
I remembered my father walking in with papers and telling me they were standard updates for company structure.
I remembered trusting him.
And now Richard Vale was standing in front of me, smiling like he had been waiting years for this moment.
"You signed them," Richard said.
I stared at him.
"I don't remember signing those.""
Ryan looked away.
That reaction told me more than words ever could.
"You knew.""
My brother didn't answer.
"Ryan.""
His shoulders dropped.
"I knew about the agreement.""
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
"You knew my voting rights were transferred?""
He looked at the floor.
"I knew.""
Emily stepped closer.
"You let them do this?""
Ryan looked at her.
"You don't understand.""
"No," I said quietly.
"I understand perfectly.""
Richard closed the folder.
"Regardless of how emotional this becomes, the documents are valid.""
James stepped forward.
"Not if they were obtained through fraud.""
Richard smiled.
"Prove it.""
That was the problem.
A piece of paper could destroy everything.
Unless we found the truth behind it.
I looked at Olivia.
She was staring at the documents.
Her face was pale.
"What is it?"" I asked.
She slowly reached for the folder.
"This isn't the original agreement.""
Richard's smile faded slightly.
"What?""
Olivia flipped through the pages.
"I saw this contract before.""
She looked at me.
"Three years ago.""
My breath stopped.
"Where?""
"In your office.""
The airport suddenly felt smaller.
"What are you saying?""
Olivia looked at Richard.
"These pages were added later.""
Richard's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
Fear.
"You don't know what you're talking about.""
Olivia shook her head.
"I helped create the original company structure. I know every clause.""
She pointed at the paper.
"This paragraph wasn't there.""
James immediately took the documents.
"She's right.""
Richard stepped back.
"You can't prove when it was added.""
James looked at him.
"Maybe not yet.""
That word mattered.
Yet.
Richard glanced at Ryan.
And for the first time, I saw tension between them.
They weren't partners anymore.
They were people trying to survive.
My phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
A photo.
It showed my father sitting alone in a car.
The message below was simple.
"Your father wants to tell you everything.""
I looked toward Ryan.
"Where is he?""
Ryan didn't answer.
But Richard did.
"Don't waste your time.""
I turned.
"Why?""
"Because he already failed.""
Something about his voice bothered me.
Not confidence.
Relief.
Like my father was no longer useful.
I called the number.
My father answered immediately.
"Michael.""
His voice sounded exhausted.
"Where are you?""
"I need to see you.""
"Why should I trust you?""
A long pause.
Then:
"Because I have proof.""
I looked at James.
"What proof?""
My father whispered:
"Proof that Richard Vale was planning to destroy you before I ever joined him.""
The call ended.
I looked at Emily.
Then Olivia.
Then James.
Three years of lies.
Three years of betrayal.
And now the person who started it all was asking me to believe him.
But there was one thing I knew.
If my father was telling the truth...
May you like
Richard Vale had been lying to everyone.
Including the people who helped him.
