Chapter 179: Dangerous Plans

"And now I do!" Callum yelled.

"I told you not to antagonise that man."

"And what? I was supposed to just sit there while he humiliates me?"

"Yes! Yes, if the alternative was dragging attention toward an account that was never supposed to be examined! You have no idea what you’ve done."

"You have gotten rid of someone before." Callum stepped closer, anger twisting his face. "Why can’t you do it again? For me this time?!"

"I have done too much for you, and I turned you into this! No more. Not at the expense of everything I have spent my entire life building." His chest rose and fell sharply as he shook his head. "I cannot believe you will be the one managing everything I built when I’m gone. First thing tomorrow morning, you and I are going to see him."

"You will be apologising to him."

"Over my dead body!"

Victor laughed. "Then that’s what’s going to happen by the time I cut you off from everything you have access to. I’ll freeze your personal accounts. And I’ll kick you out onto the street."

"Daddy!"

"Oh, no." Victor held up a hand. "That is not going to work this time."

Callum stared at him in disbelief. "You cannot be serious."

"I have never been more serious in my life."

"You’d throw your own son out?"

"If that is what it takes for you to finally understand that actions have consequences, yes. You want to fight a lion? Then you better be prepared to be a lion yourself. No family money. No access to anything attached to me."

"You wouldn’t."

"Try me."

For the first time, Callum looked uncertain.

Victor loved how satisfying that was. "Tomorrow morning," he repeated. "You apologise to Dorian, or you are out of this house."

Then he turned and stormed away.

Callum stood there, rigid.

The door slammed shut behind his father.

Callum’s face twisted. "Son of a bitch!" He kicked the broken laptop across the floor. "Son of a fucking bitch!"

The damaged screen skidded across the rug.

"Fuck!" He grabbed a decorative cushion and hurled it at the wall. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He had never been told no like this before.

Someone always gave in. Someone always fixed things. His father always fixed things.

Callum’s fists clenched.

The humiliation burned worse than the threat itself.

*****

Ethan stood behind his parents’ bedroom door, listening to them argue again.

Usually, he didn’t bother. Arguments in that house had become background noise years ago. When Richard’s voice rose, Ethan normally went straight to Millie’s room, shut the door behind them and put his headphones on.

Sometimes he gave her his spare pair too. It was easier that way. If you couldn’t hear the fighting, you could pretend it wasn’t happening.

But this time was different. Something in his mother’s voice had stopped him in the hallway.

She sounded frightened.

Ethan stood completely still.

Through the closed door, Diana’s voice broke again.

He couldn’t hear every word.

But he heard enough.

She was begging Richard not to leave them.

Ethan felt hope when he heard Richard was leaving. He didn’t fully understand why the thought made him happy, but it did.

Children were probably not supposed to feel relieved when their fathers threatened to leave.

But Ethan did.

He stayed behind the bedroom door and listened.

"Richard, you cannot do this to us!" Diana cried.

"Watch me!"

Inside the room, Richard kept throwing clothes into an open suitcase with no real order.

Whatever his hands touched first.

"Your niece ruined everything, and I have to run."

"What happens to us?!"

"Figure it out! She is your niece. She won’t do anything to you. I, on the other hand..." He left the sentence unfinished. He didn’t need to explain it.

"Richard, you are panicking for no reason. She doesn’t know anything yet."

"You said Marianne called asking questions about something she heard. That means questions are being asked."

"Not necessarily."

"Yes, necessarily!" He pointed toward her. "And I don’t intend to sit around waiting for answers to come together."

Diana followed Richard across the room. "If one plan doesn’t work, then why don’t we look for another plan? Instead of leaving your family stranded and in debt. I’m not working. How am I supposed to provide for two kids?"

Richard looked at her. "Again, I don’t give a shit. When I’m settled wherever I am, you all can come join me."

Diana laughed bitterly. "You expect me to believe that? I cannot just uproot our lives!" She followed him again. "The children have school. Ethan barely adjusts to change as it is, and Millie has her friends here. Our whole life is here!" She knew her husband. She knew exactly what this was.

If Richard left, he would not send for them.

He would disappear.

And she would probably never see him again.

"Richard, please."

He finally snapped. "What do you want me to do, Diana?"

"Stay!"

"And go to prison?"

Her face tightened. "You don’t know that will happen."

Richard laughed. "Look!" He turned toward her fully. "I stole ten million. That’s fifteen years in jail, give or take. And then I proceeded to make her pay it back." he dragged a hand over his face. "How many more years will that be?"

"Just tell me what I need to do, Richard. Please. You cannot leave us. Just tell me what you need me to do."

Richard stopped packing. He stood there with both hands braced against the edge of the suitcase, thinking. "Fine. Fine. I’ll think of a way to keep this from anyone finding out."

Relief flickered across her face.

Richard didn’t share it.

The documents he had handed Naomi were airtight enough that she had not questioned them. The problem was the debt collection company.

If anyone started digging into that company properly, asking who created it, where the payments went, things could unravel very quickly.

Naomi had finally grown a spine.

Everything was beginning to move in directions Richard did not like.

He needed to contain it.

If he could get rid of Marianne first, then get rid of Naomi, then they would be safe.

*****

Later that night, Dorian sat in his father’s study with the laptop open in front of him.

The house had finally quieted down after the chaos of the day.

He had spent the last hour answering emails, reviewing a few case notes.

The study door opened.

"Hey, babe."