Chapter 4 - THE SILVER BRACELET
Marcus didn't flinch. He didn't break eye contact with Chloe. He slowly reached into the pocket of his cheap black vest and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. He unfolded it carefully, revealing a child's crayon drawing. It was a picture of three stick figures: a tall man, a woman with yellow hair, and a small boy. Above them, in wobbly, oversized letters, it read: My Family.
"Leo drew this for me last week," Marcus said softly, looking down at the six-year-old boy who was clutching Chloe's leg, staring at Marcus with wide, frightened eyes. "He told me that I was the dad in the picture."
Marcus looked back up at Chloe, ignoring Richard entirely. "A man who wants to be a father to this boy, a man who wants to be a husband to you... does not steal."
He took a slow, deliberate step toward Richard. The arrogant man tried to back away, but Silas subtly blocked his path.
"I didn't steal that bracelet," Marcus stated, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "You pawned it, Richard. Three months ago. At a shop on 5th and Elm. I saw it in the window while I was walking to my shift here. I recognized it from the old photographs Chloe showed me of her mother."
Chloe gasped, turning to her father. "Dad?"
"He's lying!" Richard sputtered, his face turning a dangerous shade of crimson.
"I bought it back," Marcus continued, his eyes locked onto Richard like a predator. "I spent four months of my wages saving up to get it out of hock. I was going to give it to you tonight, Chloe. When I asked you to marry me. But when I went to my locker before my shift started to check my bag... it was gone."
Marcus took another step, towering over Richard. "You followed me. You went through my locker. You took it back so you could frame me, just so you could force Chloe to marry Arthur Pendelton to secure a merger for your bankrupt company."
Chloe let out a choked sob. "Arthur? The man is sixty years old, Dad! You were going to force me to marry him?"
"I was trying to save our family!" Richard screamed, cornered and desperate. "You don't understand the pressure! The debt! We are going to lose everything, Chloe! The house, the cars, everything!"
"You already lost it, Richard," Silas interjected smoothly. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a thick, leather-bound folder. He tossed it onto the diner table where a spilled milkshake was slowly dripping onto the floor. "The Vance Global Consortium bought your remaining debt yesterday morning."
Richard stared at the folder as if it were a venomous snake.
Silas looked at Marcus and bowed his head slightly. "Mr. Vance. As of 9:00 AM this morning, you are the sole owner of Sterling Shipping, the Sterling family estate, and every remaining asset this man possesses."
Marcus looked at the man who had just slapped him and humiliated him in front of the world. Then, he looked down. From the folder Silas had tossed onto the table, a single, loose document had slipped out. Marcus recognized the official seal immediately.
It wasn't a financial document. It was a custody petition.
May you like
Marcus picked it up, his eyes scanning the legal jargon. His blood boiled. He turned the paper around so Chloe could see it.
"He wasn't just going to sell you, Chloe," Marcus said, his voice trembling with a terrifying, barely suppressed rage. "He filed papers to have Leo taken away from you and placed in a state facility, claiming you were financially unfit to care for him."
