Chapter 5 - Shadows of the Past
Leo felt as if the air had been kicked from his lungs. "How do you know my father?"
"Because Thomas Vance was an honest man in a city built on corrupt contracts," Walter said, his pale grey eyes flashing with a mix of sorrow and vengeance. "When he refused to stay quiet, he was framed for embezzlement and driven into poverty. He died trying to clear his name. And the man who orchestrated his downfall was sitting in the executive suite of Apex Vanguard—the very company funding this building."
Pendelton stepped back, his back hitting the edge of the mahogany desk. His eyes darted nervously toward the security monitors mounted behind the counter.
"Three months ago, I feigned memory loss and walked away from my estate," Walter continued, stepping closer to Leo. "I needed to know if integrity was truly dead, or if it was merely hiding under the debris of this ruthless machine. I visited nine properties owned by my subsidiaries. Nine times I was pushed into the rain, threatened, or ignored. Until today."
May you like
Walter took the legal folio from his attorney's hands and opened it across the reception counter.
"This document transfers thirty-four percent of Bennett Capital's voting shares to an independent trust," Walter said, signing his name with a fountain pen handed to him by his counsel. "And it appoints you, Leo Vance, as the primary chairman of that trust."
