“This is fake,” Harrison stammered. “Anyone can print up a business card.”
Victor pulled his personal phone from his pocket.
He dialed a contact number and placed the call on speaker.
“Ms. Lawson, good evening,” Victor spoke clearly into the microphone. “Please immediately halt the signing of the major supply contract with Dupont Development scheduled for tomorrow morning. I also want our internal Audit Department to review their safety compliance records and subcontractor payment logs for all three pending projects right away.”
Harrison stopped breathing for a second as panic hit him.
“What supply contract are you talking about?” Harrison gasped.
Victor met his eyes with a cold gaze.
“The four hundred and twenty million dollar agreement that your chief financial officer has been begging us to sign for the past six months,” Victor revealed calmly.
Gwendolyn pressed her hand over her open mouth in horror.
Zachary dropped his phone onto the table, completely stunned.
However, Victor was not finished yet.
During the call, Ms. Lawson mentioned vital information that Victor had not previously known.
The corporate audit team had already been quietly examining Dupont Development for three weeks.
What they uncovered had the potential to destroy far more than a wedding.
PART 3
Harrison struggled to regain his composure as his confidence evaporated.
“Mr. Callahan, there must be some terrible misunderstanding here,” Harrison stammered out.
Only a few minutes prior, he had insulted Victor as a useless old worker. Now he spoke the man’s name with extreme care.
Victor did not reply to him immediately.
On the phone speaker, Ms. Lawson kept speaking details.
“How long has this been occurring?” Victor asked her.
He listened quietly for nearly a minute as she explained the situation.
His expression hardened.
It was not a look of triumph.
It was deep disappointment.
“Send all the documentation to my personal portal tonight,” Victor instructed her. “Do not contact anyone from the Dupont firm until our Legal Department reviews the findings.”
He ended the call.
Harrison swallowed hard as he tried to explain away the issue.
“Some bitter former employee probably made up fake accusations,” Harrison claimed desperately. “That happens all the time in construction.”
“That is certainly possible,” Victor replied steadily. “That is precisely why we conduct formal audits.”
Gwendolyn stepped closer to Victor’s chair nervously.
“Mr. Callahan, the wine was just an irrational emotional outburst,” Gwendolyn pleaded softly. “I had no idea who you were.”
Victor raised a hand to pause her speech.
“That is the exact core of the issue, Mrs. Dupont,” Victor stated firmly.
She stood silent.
“You did not know who I was,” Victor explained to her. “Because you lacked that knowledge, you believed you were entirely free to humiliate me. If I had arrived here today with a personal driver, an expensive suit, and bodyguards, you would have smiled and treated me with respect. Because I showed up in a wheelchair wearing an old jacket, you decided I was worth stepping on. You are not apologizing for your cruel behavior. You are only apologizing because you realized you directed it at a powerful man.”
Nobody at the table dared to move a muscle.
Samantha picked up the engagement ring and slid it across the table toward Zachary.
“Take this back,” Samantha said quietly.
Zachary reacted frantically.
“Samantha, wait a moment,” Zachary begged her. “I honestly did not know your father was Victor Callahan.”
She let out a bitter, sad laugh.
“Why should that fact change anything about how you treat people?” Samantha asked.
“It changes everything about our future!” Zachary argued.
“That exact mindset is why I refuse to marry you,” Samantha stated firmly.
