Richard stared at the small recording chip in Lily's palm, then turned his gaze back to his stepfather's face, his eyebrows furrowing in deep suspicion and confusion.
Richard: A recording chip? What is on that chip, Arthur?
Arthur: Evidence of a ongoing criminal conspiracy, Richard. A recording of the person who paid off the mechanic ten years ago, and who has been illegally siphoning millions of dollars from our charity trust fund every single month since then.
Victoria's face turned completely ghost-white. She reached out for her designer leather handbag resting on the table, her hands shaking so violently that she accidentally knocked over her water glass.
Victoria: This is insane. I am not standing here listening to these wild, unhinged conspiracy theories any longer! Richard, we are leaving right now!
Arthur: Touch that handbag and you will prove your guilt right here in front of fifty witnesses, Victoria.
Richard froze, looking slowly from Arthur to his wife. A cold, sickening realization began to settle deep in the pit of his stomach as he remembered all the times Victoria had insisted on handling the corporate legal paperwork alone over the last ten years.
Richard: Victoria... why are you shaking like that?
Victoria: I am not shaking! I am just tired of this old man's crazy games! He is clearly suffering from dementia or mental instability!
Arthur: I have never been clearer in my mind. Ten years ago, Victoria was deeply in debt from illegal offshore gambling. She needed access to the family trust fund, but my strict oversight prevented her from touching a single cent. So she hired a mechanic named Marcus to tamper with my brakes.
Victoria: THAT IS A LIE! YOU CANNOT PROVE A SINGLE WORD OF THAT!
Arthur: The chip in my shoe contains a recorded phone conversation from twenty minutes ago, Victoria. I had my security team call Marcus from an untraceable line, pretending to demand blackmail money. You panicked and called him back immediately using your personal cell phone to tell him to stay quiet, completely unaware that my shoes were equipped with a high-frequency directional receiver that picked up every word you spoke at this table.
Victoria let out a sharp, horrified gasp, backing away toward the restaurant exit, but two tall men dressed in plain dark suits stepped out from a booth near the front entrance, blocking her path entirely. They were Arthur's private security detail, who had been monitoring the restaurant from the moment Arthur arrived.
Richard: How could you... how could you do that to my family, Victoria? I trusted you with my life!
Victoria: Richard, listen to me! He is twisting everything! I did it for us! He was going to give all his wealth away to charities and leave us with nothing!
Richard: You almost KILLED him! You made me live a lie for ten long years!