Chapter 9 - The Final Recording
Richard frowned, his eyes darting to the marble fireplace on the far side of the study. Nestled behind a bronze clock was a small, high-definition security camera, its tiny red LED light blinking steadily.
"This room has been continuously recorded and streamed to our secure cloud server since 2018," Edward said, picking up his gold chronograph from the desk and strapping it back onto his wrist. "Every word you just spoke—your admission of freezing Daniel out of the shelters, your illegal transfer of the core patents, and your extortion attempt—has just been archived and sent directly to the federal prosecutor's office."
Richard’s face transformed from arrogant smugness to sheer terror. He lunged toward the mantelpiece, snatching the camera down and tearing the wires, but the damage was already done.
"You senile old fool!" Richard screamed, charging back toward the desk. "I'll kill you!"
Before Richard could reach Edward, the double doors burst open. Two heavy-set estate security guards, accompanied by the police officer from the restaurant, swarmed into the room. The officer tackled Richard to the carpet, twisting his arm behind his back and snapping cold steel handcuffs around his wrists.
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"Richard Sterling, you are under arrest for fraud, grand larceny, and conspiracy," the officer barked, hauling the struggling executive to his feet.
As Richard was dragged screaming out of the study, Edward collapsed back into his leather chair, his chest heaving as he closed his eyes, feeling the heavy burden of fifteen years finally lifting from his soul.
