Chapter 3 - The Threat at the Threshold
The next afternoon, the elevator doors of the hospital’s VIP wing opened to reveal Richard and Jason.
Richard looked immaculate in his designer wool coat, his expression one of polite, artificial concern. Jason walked half a step behind him, his eyes scanning the corridor with a nervous, twitchy energy. They had heard through their network that Sarah had survived the fall, and they knew they had to control the narrative before she could speak to the police.
As they approached Sarah's room, they found the entrance blocked.
Two large, uniformed private security guards stood at the door, their arms crossed. Standing between them was Daniel, his sleeves rolled up, his gaze locked onto his father-in-law.
"Richard. Jason," Daniel said, his voice low and dangerous. "You have five seconds to turn around and walk back to the elevator before my security team throws you out of this building."
Richard let out a soft, patronizing sigh, adjusting his glasses. "Daniel, please. Let's not be dramatic. We heard about Sarah’s clumsy accident on the stairs. We’re her family. We have a right to see her and make sure our grandson is safe."
"Your grandson?" Daniel stepped forward, his eyes burning with a primal, protective rage. "The grandson you wanted to 'save you the trouble of a custody fight'? The one you left to die on a cold floor?"
Jason’s face flushed red, his hands balling into fists. "What the hell are you talking about, Daniel? She fell. She’s always been clumsy. You can’t prove anything."
Daniel slowly pulled out his phone. He pressed play.
The sound of Jason’s own sneering voice filled the quiet hospital corridor: "...if she loses the baby, it saves us the trouble..."
Jason stumbled backward, his eyes widening in absolute horror as the recording played. Richard’s smug composure shattered instantly, his face turning an ugly, mottled gray.
"You think you're smart, Daniel?" Richard hissed, leaning in close, his polite facade entirely gone, replaced by the face of a desperate, cornered predator. "That recording is highly edited. It won't hold up in a court of law. And even if it does, I have enough judges and politicians in my pocket to tie this up in litigation until your child is in college. You have no money, no power, and no influence. Drop this, or I will make sure you and your wife are ruined before the week is out."
"I don't need to fight you in your courts, Richard," Daniel smiled, a cold, victorious expression that made Richard’s stomach drop. "Arthur Vance has already filed an emergency injunction in federal court to freeze all assets tied to the Robertson-Cross Trust, citing active criminal investigation for trust tampering and attempted murder. The federal marshal is serving the freeze order to your bank as we speak."
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"You... you didn't," Richard gasped, his chest heaving.
"Oh, I did," Daniel said, leaning in until his breath touched Richard's ear. "By tomorrow morning, your corporate credit lines will be dead. Your investors will find out you’ve been living on stolen family trust money. And you, Jason, are going to be a very popular man in a orange jumpsuit."
