Chapter 7
1090words
This time, no one sat. They all remained standing, their eyes fixed on Emma and Alex. Nina cowered in the corner like a trapped animal, her face ashen, eyes darting frantically for escape.
"I trust everyone has had time to process what we've discussed," Emma's cool voice sliced through the silence. She addressed the screen rather than any person. "But to eliminate any remaining... misunderstandings, I believe we need absolute clarity."
She glanced at Alex with a slight nod.
"Alex. Show them."
Alex inhaled deeply. Though haggard, his eyes burned with newfound resolve. He approached the screen and plugged in a USB drive.
The screen flickered to life, displaying not another damning video but a meticulously organized dossier. Nina's portrait dominated the top—but beneath it sat a different name entirely.
"This woman—whose real name is Xu Wan—was married to David Zhang, formerly a financial director at Victor Group," Alex stated flatly, as though reading about strangers.
Father's face drained of color in an instant.
"Five years ago, David uncovered evidence of extensive tax evasion and fraudulent financing through shell companies. He was preparing to blow the whistle to federal authorities."
Alex paused as scanned documents flashed on screen, each bearing Father's unmistakable signature.
"But Father struck first," Alex continued. "He planted evidence of embezzlement and bought off the auditors. Overnight, David went from rising star to disgraced criminal. Six weeks later, he hanged himself in his cell."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Every director turned to stare at Father, who seemed to shrink under their gaze.
"And Xu Wan—now Nina—went from comfortable wealth to social pariah overnight. She and her three-year-old son were thrown onto the street, drowning in her husband's fabricated debts. Every friend, every connection—gone."
Alex finally looked up, his gaze boring into the woman cowering in the corner.
"She targeted me. Married me. From day one, it was all about infiltrating this family to get to you, Father. She wants to burn your world to ashes—just like you did to hers."
The truth lay exposed, raw and bleeding.
Faced with exposure, Nina laughed—a sound filled with bitter triumph. She abandoned her victim act and slowly rose to her full height, shoulders back, chin raised.
"Damn right," she sneered, dropping all pretense. "I came for blood. Victor destroyed my family, so I'll destroy his. He thought he was using me? God, what a joke. From the start, I've been playing his pathetic, predictable lust."
She turned to Father, her eyes burning with five years of concentrated hatred.
Then she looked at Alex, with such arctic coldness that my brother visibly flinched.
"As for you," her voice dripped with cruel satisfaction, "you were nothing but a stepping stone. Did you honestly think I could love the son of the man who murdered my husband?"
Her words struck Alex like a poisoned blade. He closed his eyes, his face ashen, swaying slightly where he stood.
The room reeled with shock and outrage. Several directors muttered curses under their breath.
"ENOUGH!" Grandfather slammed his cane against the floor with a crack that echoed like a gunshot.
Emma ignored the chaos and calmly withdrew the final item from her portfolio—a sealed manila envelope.
She approached Grandfather and placed it in his trembling hands.
"Father, the DNA results just arrived from the lab."
Though barely above a whisper, her words crashed through the room like thunder. Everyone froze, all eyes locked on the envelope that would determine their dynasty's fate.
What little color remained in Nina's face vanished. The executioner's axe was falling.
With shaking fingers, Grandfather tore open the seal. He extracted a single sheet of paper, his rheumy eyes scanning the text. With each line, his hands trembled more violently, his complexion graying like a winter sky.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
Finally, he looked up. His eyes, usually gentle with age, now blazed with a fury I'd never witnessed as he stared at the son he'd once adored.
CRACK! Grandfather whipped the report across Victor's face with shocking force.
Stunned silence gripped the room. The paper fluttered to the floor, its damning conclusion visible to all:
**PATERNITY ANALYSIS: Subject fetus shows NO GENETIC RELATIONSHIP to Mr. Alexander Victor.**
**PATERNITY ANALYSIS: Subject fetus shows 99.99% PROBABILITY of paternal relationship with Mr. Victor Victor.**
Grandfather's entire body shook with rage. He raised his cane, pointing it at Victor's ashen face, each word forced through clenched teeth.
"You. Disgust. Me." Each syllable fell like a stone.
"You are no son of mine."
With those words, the patriarch who had ruled their dynasty for fifty years seemed to collapse inward. He turned and shuffled from the room with leaden steps, never once looking back at the son who had brought such disgrace upon their name.
Minutes later, Grandfather returned, leaning on the lawyer's arm. The rage had vanished from his face, replaced by an icy calm more terrifying than his fury.
He reclaimed his seat at the head of the table and surveyed the directors, who sat frozen and mute.
"I move," his voice quiet yet commanding absolute obedience, "to immediately remove Victor from his position as CEO, with Thomas assuming temporary control of operations."
His gaze swept the table.
"Those in favor."
Grand Uncle Thomas's hand shot up first. Others followed without hesitation.
Only the whisper of rising arms broke the silence. Six hands reached skyward.
Grandfather's gaze fell on Victor.
"Six in favor. One against. One abstention."
He regarded his son with eyes devoid of any paternal warmth.
"Motion carried. Victor, you are no longer CEO of this company, effective immediately."
He turned to the woman now crumpled on the floor.
"Nina, you are expelled from this family. You will never again set foot on any property bearing our name."
The sentence was passed.
Victor's mouth opened, desperate to defend himself, but seeing every director turn away in disgust, the words died in his throat.
Mother rose calmly, crossed to Grandfather's side, and gently took his arm.
"Let's go, Father."
I followed immediately, with Alex trailing silently behind.
At the doorway, Alex paused, looking back at the broken man in the chair and the woman sobbing on the floor, his expression unreadable.
"Mom," he whispered, his voice raw, "what happens now?"
Mother didn't look back. She stared straight ahead, supporting Grandfather, her stride never faltering.
"We're not finished," her voice chilled the air around us. "I don't just want them gone."
"I want everything they stole from us. Everything."
