Chapter 3: Room 204
Chapter 3: Room 204
With his corporate cards frozen and his luxury SUV locked in the mansion’s garage, Julian had to call a standard ride-share app using the small personal bank account his mother didn't know about—an account containing less than three thousand dollars.
They ended up at a bleak, run-down motel on the outskirts of the city. The neon sign buzzed erratically, casting a harsh buzzing light through the cracked window of Room 204. The air smelled of old tobacco and cheap disinfectant.
Julian paced the small room, his mind racing. "I’ll call the partners at the firm tomorrow. They know my worth. I built the entire international portfolio. My mother controls the board, but she can't illegally terminate my contract without a voting majority."
Clara sat on the edge of the stained mattress, gently rocking Lily back to sleep. "Julian, she owns sixty percent of the voting shares. She is the board."
"Then I’ll start over," Julian said, sitting next to her and taking her small, bruised hand in his. He saw the red marks around her wrists where his mother had grabbed her. "I am so sorry, Clara. I brought you into this nightmare. I should have protected you from her from day one."
"You protected me tonight," Clara whispered, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "That's all that matters."
The next morning, the nightmare deepened. When Julian tried to log into his corporate email, a flashing red text appeared: ACCESS DENIED. ACCOUNT TERMINATED.
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Minutes later, his phone rang. It was an automated alert from his personal bank account. Notice: Account frozen due to pending legal litigation by Vance Enterprises for alleged corporate embezzlement.
Eleanor wasn't just cutting him off. She was systematically framing her own son for a white-collar crime to utterly destroy his reputation before he could even attempt to fight back.
