Chapter 5 - The Confrontation
Freya’s breath hitched in her throat. "You're lying... you're making this up!"
"Go look out the window," I said simply.
Freya dashed across the room, pushing aside the silk drapes to look down at the circular driveway below. Outside, a heavy flatbed tow truck was backing up to a sleek silver Porsche 911. Two uniformed officers stood by as the operator hooked the rear axle and lifted the luxury car onto the bed.
"No... no, no, no!" Freya shrieked, slamming her fists against the window glass. "Nathaniel! NATHANIEL!"
The door to the suite burst open, and Nathaniel rushed in, out of breath, his tie loosened and beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Freya, what's going on?! The valet said—"
Nathaniel froze as his eyes landed on me. His confident, corporate posture instantly vanished, replaced by the twitchy, defensive posture of a cornered thief.
"You," Nathaniel hissed, his fists clenching at his sides. "I told you to stay away from here, Sinclair. You’re trespassing on private property. I’ll have Arthur Vance's legal team sue you into the dirt!"
"Arthur Vance isn't going to sue anyone, Nathaniel," I said, pulling out a crisp white envelope and stepping toward him. "Because Arthur Vance is currently downstairs in the main courtyard, reading a forty-page forensic audit report on your fake AI company."
Nathaniel’s face went completely grey. "What did you do?"
"I did what any good intelligence officer does," I said, my voice cutting through the room like a razor. "I conducted a background check. You don't own any patents. Your startup has no software code. You’ve been paying your office rent in Austin by liquidating fraudulent mortgages pulled from middle-class families through your fake title agency."
I stepped closer until I was standing inches from his face. He flinched, shrinking back against the mahogany door frame. He was taller than me, but he had never faced real violence in his life. He was a creature of air-conditioned offices and fake smiles. Up close, he smelled of sweat and expensive cologne trying to cover up fear.
"I filed an emergency freezing order on all accounts associated with Mercer Global Holdings at 0800 this morning," I continued, holding up a legal document stamped by the Travis County Superior Court. "Every dollar you stole from my duplex equity, every cent you pulled from my parents' reverse mortgage, has been seized by the state receiver."
"You ruined us..." Elise gasped, collapsing onto the velvet sofa, sobbing hysterically into her hands. "You ruined your sister's wedding! You ruined our lives!"
"You ruined yourselves the second you put a price tag on my blood," I replied, turning to face my mother.
Rhys finally found his voice, stepping forward with his hands shaking uncontrollably. "Sinclair... please... she's your sister. We're your family. How could you do this to us? What will people say?"
"You cared more about what the people at this country club thought than whether your own daughter survived a combat deployment," I said, looking my father straight in the eyes until he cast his gaze down in shame. "You stood by and let them erase me from the family photos while you drank scotch bought with my hazard pay. You aren't my father, Rhys. You're just a bystander."
Nathaniel suddenly lunged forward, trying to grab the legal documents out of my hand. "Give me those fucking papers, you crazy bitch!"
Before his hand could even touch the paper, my military instincts took over.
I stepped inside his guard, caught his wrist with my left hand, twisted it violently downward, and slammed my right palm directly into the center of his chest. The impact drove the air out of his lungs with a sharp whoosh. He hit the hardwood floor hard on his knees, gasping for breath, clutching his wrist as tears pooled in his eyes.
"Do not lay a hand on an officer of the United States Military," I said coldly, looking down at him as he groaned on the floor. "You’re lucky we’re in Texas and not in a combat zone, Nathaniel. Otherwise, you wouldn't be breathing right now."
Freya screamed, dropping to her knees beside Nathaniel, wrapping her arms around his shaking shoulders. "Get out! Get out of here, you monster!"
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"I'm leaving," I said, picking up my briefcase and smoothing down the lapels of my black suit jacket. "The ceremony starts in twenty minutes. I suggest you go down there and tell your two hundred high-society guests why there won't be a reception."
I turned my back on them and walked out of the suite, the sound of my mother's wailing echoing down the quiet corridor behind me.