Richard slammed his hand against the table.
"Necessary?"
His voice echoed through the room.
"You stole twenty-four years from me!"
Charles tried to speak.
But Richard continued.
"You made a woman believe she had been abandoned. You made a child grow up without knowing her father. And you stood beside me for decades while pretending to be my most trusted adviser!"
Charles looked toward Victoria.
"I'm sorry."
Victoria finally spoke.
"Do you know what my mother used to do every year on her birthday?"
Charles remained silent.
"She would take out his photograph and wonder whether he was still alive."
Her voice trembled.
"She never knew you had stolen her letters."
Charles looked down.
For the first time, he appeared unable to defend himself.
CHAPTER 10: THE DAUGHTER'S QUESTION
Richard asked James to leave them alone for a moment.
The conference room became quiet.
Victoria stood.
"Why did you do it?"
Charles looked at her.
"I thought I was making the right decision for the company."
Victoria shook her head.
"That doesn't explain why you destroyed my mother's life."
Charles had no answer.
She continued.
"You didn't just interfere with a business decision. You interfered with two people's lives."
Charles lowered his eyes.
"I know."
"No, I don't think you do."
Victoria took a breath.
"My mother worked two jobs to raise me. She worried about rent. She worried about medical bills. She worried about whether she could afford my education."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"All that time, she believed my father had chosen to leave us."
Charles remained silent.
Victoria looked toward Richard.
"And he believed she had forgotten him."
Richard looked devastated.
He approached his daughter.
"Victoria, I'm sorry."
She nodded.
"I know you didn't know."
He reached for her hand.
She allowed him to hold it.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Richard whispered:
"I can't give you those years back."
Victoria shook her head.
"No. You can't."
He lowered his eyes.
"But I want to spend whatever time I have left making sure you never feel alone again."
Victoria finally embraced him.
And for the first time in twenty-four years, Richard Montgomery held his daughter.
CHAPTER 11: THE COST OF BETRAYAL
The following morning, Richard called an emergency board meeting.
Charles was temporarily removed from all executive responsibilities.
An independent investigation was launched into the destruction and interception of company correspondence.
The board also reviewed several decisions Charles had made over the years.
They discovered that he had repeatedly concealed information from Richard.
He had altered internal records.
He had blocked communications.
He had even used his position to prevent certain people from reaching the billionaire.