Chapter 11 - FATHER AND SON
Daniel heard enough.
Security surrounded Victor.
“You set this up?”
Victor shook his head.
“No.”
Daniel grabbed his coat.
“You threatened her.”
“I didn’t order a shooting!”
Shiomara pushed between them.
“Stop.”
Daniel looked furious.
“He brought you here!”
“And then he saved me.”
Victor stared at Shiomara.
She held out her hand.
“Phone.”
He gave it to her.
“Harold?”
Silence.
Then an older man’s voice.
“You should have stayed at your cart.”
Shiomara’s face hardened.
“You should have learned better manners.”
Harold laughed.
“You have no idea what you’re involved in.”
“I know your son almost got shot because of you.”
Victor went still.
“I never wanted him hurt.”
“Then why send someone?”
“To scare you.”
Daniel’s attorney whispered, “Keep him talking.”
Shiomara did.
“You framed my cart.”
Silence.
“You planted the insects.”
“No proof.”
“Transferred money into my account.”
“You can’t prove that either.”
“Threatened my home.”
Harold’s tone sharpened.
“You people keep confusing kindness with power.”
Shiomara looked at Daniel, Marcus, and Maya.
“No.”
Her voice became quiet.
“You keep confusing cruelty with strength.”
Harold hung up.
Marcus immediately looked at his laptop.
“We got the trace.”
“Where?”
He smiled.
“Old fool called from one of Kane Development’s own properties.”
Police moved fast.
By sunrise, Harold Vance was arrested.
Documents recovered from his office showed years of fraud, bribery, extortion, and illegal property manipulation.
But the biggest shock involved Victor.
Harold had secretly moved money through his son’s companies.
Victor had committed plenty of ruthless business acts himself.
But several crimes blamed on Kane Development had been arranged by Harold without Victor’s knowledge.
Victor sat in the interview room for six hours.
When he emerged, Daniel was waiting.
“You still tried to take the block.”
“Yes.”
“You still threatened Shiomara.”
“Yes.”
“You still tried to frame her.”
Victor looked down.
“Yes.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“You’re lucky she sees something in you I don’t.”
Victor gave a humorless smile.
“She sees a starving kid.”
“So do I.”
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“I was one.”
Victor looked up.
That landed harder than any punch.
The next afternoon, the property owner announced he was delaying the sale.
Not canceling it.
Delaying.
“We have forty-eight hours,” Marcus said.
“To do what?” Shiomara asked.
“Convince every investor connected to Kane’s offer that his project is toxic.”
Maya smiled.
“And we need you.”
Shiomara laughed.
“I sell chicken.”
Daniel placed a microphone in front of her.
“Tomorrow morning, you’re speaking at City Hall.”
Shiomara’s smile vanished.
“In front of how many people?”
Marcus checked the livestream schedule.
“Probably a few million.”
May you like
Shiomara stared at them.
“I think I preferred the gunshots.”
