Chapter 9 - Rain on the Roof
The storm broke just as we unlocked the heavy oak front door of the cabin, unleashing a sudden sheet of rain that hammered loudly against the cedar shingle roof. Inside, the air smelled of aged cedar, old paper, and a faint, lingering trace of woodsmoke. It was as if Julian had just walked out the door five minutes prior.
Dominic immediately set to work lighting the stone hearth while I settled Grace on a woven rug near the warmth of the fire. The flames cast long, dancing shadows across the exposed beams of the living room, illuminating rows of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a heavy mahogany desk cluttered with architectural sketches and notebooks.
"Check the desk drawers," Dominic said, standing up and brushing the dust from his palms. "Julian kept a secondary ledger for all personal transactions. If Vance tried to squeeze him out financially, the paper trail has to be here."
I hurried to the mahogany desk, pulling open the central drawer. Inside lay a neat stack of envelopes postmarked from the city, alongside a leather-bound journal bearing Julian's familiar handwriting. But beneath the journal rested something heavier: a sealed manila envelope addressed directly to Dominic in bold, unmistakable capital letters.
I handed it to him without a word.
Dominic took the envelope, his fingers brushing against mine. The contact was brief, but the warmth of his skin sent a sudden, electric shock through my arms. He stared down at his brother's handwriting, his breath catching in his throat. With a steady, deliberate motion, he tore open the flap and pulled out a stack of signed affidavits and bank transfer records.
"My God," Dominic whispered, scanning the first page. "Vance didn't just push him out of the partnership. He systematically drained Julian's private accounts to fund the hostile takeover of the firm's Asian division, forging Julian's signature on every transaction." He looked up, his dark eyes burning with suppressed fury. "Julian wasn't hiding from the board. He was building the legal case to put Vance in federal prison."
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I stepped closer to him, the tension in the room thickening until it was almost palpable. "And that's why they silenced him."
Dominic didn't answer right away. He dropped the papers onto the desk and turned to face me, his gaze dropping to my lips before rising back to my eyes. The space between us dissolved, the years of corporate coldness burning away in the amber firelight.
