Chapter 12: The Forensic Discovery
1348 Words
Seraphina’s POV
The basement of the Valerius headquarters was a maze of heavy shelving and cardboard boxes that hadn't been touched in decades, and I spent the better part of the morning under the dim fluorescent lights because I wanted to see the original paper trails that Julian’s father had left behind. Marcus was standing near a stack of old ledger books with his shirt sleeves rolled up, and he was sifting through a crate of personal correspondence when he pulled out a thick, wax-sealed envelope that looked completely different from the standard corporate files we had been finding.
"I found something that doesn't belong in the tax archives, and it seems to be a private insurance policy issued to the late Mr. Valerius just six months before he passed away," Marcus said, handing me the document which was thick with legal jargon and a very high payout figure.
"This policy is for twenty million dollars, but the status is listed as 'Pending' even though it’s been over ten years since he died, so why would Lydia leave that much money on the table unless there was a problem with the claim?" I asked, flipping through the pages until I reached the section requiring a certified death certificate.
"The claim was never finalized because the insurance company requested an autopsy report and a verified cause of death, but the file says the family withdrew the application because the death certificate went missing during the funeral arrangements," Marcus explained, and he looked at me with a look that told me he was thinking the same thing I was.
"Lydia didn't lose that certificate, she hid it because whatever was written on that paper would have caused a scandal that would have destroyed the family's reputation and their stock price back then," I said, and I tucked the file into my bag because I knew this was the lever I needed to finally make Lydia surrender.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I saw a text message from Marcus’s secondary device, and when I looked up at him, he had a mischievous grin on his face that meant his plan with Clara was working perfectly.
"Clara just sent me another five thousand dollars to my private account, and she is practically begging me to tell her when you are going to be out of the office so Julian can 'accidentally' run into the European investors," Marcus told me, and he leaned against the shelf while he typed out a response.
"Tell her I’m going to be at the downtown branch all afternoon, and make sure she thinks I’m there to sign off on the new tech acquisition," I replied, knowing full well that I would be at the main headquarters all day.
"I already sent the tip, and I also mentioned that the stock for that tech firm is about to skyrocket, so I can guarantee that Julian is currently liquidating his remaining cash to buy as much of it as he can before the market closes," Marcus said, and we both knew that the firm I was 'visiting' was actually about to file for bankruptcy.
The elevator ride up to the executive floor was smooth and quiet, and as I stepped into the lobby of Gabriel’s office suite, I saw a sight that I never thought I would see in a million years. Julian was sitting on the edge of a guest chair with his head in his hands, and his suit was wrinkled while his hair looked like he had been running his fingers through it in a panic for hours.
"He’s been sitting there for two hours demanding to see Mr. Gabriel, and he refuses to leave until he gets an audience," the receptionist whispered to me as I walked past her desk.
"Let him in, I think Gabriel is ready to finish this conversation," I said, and I followed Julian as he practically ran into Gabriel’s private office when the door finally opened.
"Uncle, you have to help me because the banks have locked my personal accounts and I just found out that the tech stock I bought this morning has crashed to nearly zero, so I have nothing left to pay for the penthouse or even the legal fees for the audit," Julian blurted out, standing in front of Gabriel’s desk like a beggar.
Gabriel didn't even look up from his computer for a long time, and when he finally did, his eyes were cold and he looked at his nephew with a sense of pity that was more insulting than anger.
"You came to me for a handout after you insulted my wife and tried to steal from the company that I built with my brother?" Gabriel asked, his voice sounding like a slow-moving glacier.
"I’m family, Gabriel, and you can't just let a Valerius starve on the street while you live in a mansion with the woman who put me there!" Julian shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.
"I’m not going to let you starve, Julian, because I’m a man of my word and I believe in giving people exactly what they deserve," Gabriel said, and he reached into his drawer and pulled out a small, plastic ID badge.
"What is this?" Julian asked, picking up the badge and looking at the photo of himself.
"It’s an entry pass for the basement mailroom and the loading docks, and since you said you were willing to take any job to stay on the payroll, you can start tomorrow morning at six o'clock," Gabriel told him, and he leaned back in his chair with a calm expression.
"You want me to work in the mailroom? I’m the CEO of this company!" Julian screamed, throwing the badge onto the desk.
"You were the CEO, but now you are just a man with a lot of debt and no skills that I can use in the boardroom, so take the job or leave the building, but don't come back here unless you are wearing a blue uniform," Gabriel replied, and he looked at me and smiled as I walked over to his side.
Julian looked at me with a look of pure hatred, but he realized that he had no other options, and he slowly reached out and grabbed the badge off the desk before turning around and walking toward the door.
"Oh, and Julian," I called out as he reached the exit, "I wouldn't bother checking the mail for any letters from your father’s insurance company, because I’ve already taken care of that little family secret."
He stopped for a second but didn't turn around, and I could see his shoulders shaking as he walked out into the lobby. A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened and a group of three investors from London stepped out, and they were talking loudly about the millions of dollars they were about to invest in our new project.
Julian was standing by the trash can in the lobby, trying to fix his tie and look like he belonged there, but the investors walked right past him as if he were invisible, and one of them even bumped into his shoulder and didn't even stop to apologize.
"Who was that man?" one of the investors asked me as I greeted them with a professional smile.
"I’m not sure, I think he’s one of the new seasonal hires for the logistics department," I replied, and I felt Gabriel’s hand on my waist as we led the men toward the conference room.
As the heavy glass doors began to close behind us, I looked back and saw Julian standing alone in the center of the lobby, and he was staring at the reflection of his own badge in the polished marble wall while his phone started to ring with what I knew was another angry call from Elena about their mounting bills.
- Writer
