The Price of Loyalty and the Letter That Exposed a Family
Arthur Vance held up a black leather folder, damp from the storm.
“We are here to offer a resolution,” Vance said, his voice smooth and clinical.
“A resolution?” I asked, stepping out from behind Gabriel’s protective frame.
“You framed me for your financial fraud, Father.”
“You let Vanessa and Ethan ruin my life to cover your own tracks.”
“Vanessa is a fool,” my father said, dismissing his favorite daughter with a flick of his fingers.
“And Ethan is a weak thief who got greedy.”
“But you are an accountant, Claire, and you are going to fix this.”
I stared at him, incredulous at the sheer arrogance in his voice.
“Fix what?” I asked.
“Your testimony to the federal prosecutors,” he said.
He took a step closer, the scent of expensive cologne and damp wool filling the warm air of the penthouse.
“You will sign a statement declaring that the discrepancies in the foundation accounts were the result of your own clerical oversight.”
“I will do no such thing,” I said.
My father smiled, but his eyes remained dead.
“You will,” he said.