Page 139 of Shattered Melodies

I took a deep breath, trying to center myself. “You’re right. This needs to stop. What’s our next move?”

I strode down the hallway towards my father’s office, my heart pounding in my chest. The weight of the fake contract in my hand felt like a ticking time bomb. This was it - the moment of truth. Everything we’d planned, everything I’d agonized over for the past few days, it all came down to this.

As I approached his office, I could hear my father’s voice, raised and angry. He was on the phone, probably chewing out some poor employee who’d dared to question him. Typical.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “You’ve got this, Liam,” I muttered under my breath. “Just stick to the plan.”

I knocked on the door, perhaps a bit harder than necessary. The phone call abruptly cut off, and my father’s gruff voice called out, “Come in!”

I pushed open the door, plastering on my best ‘dutiful son’ smile. “Got a minute?”

My father’s face morphed from annoyance to a grin as he saw me. “Liam! Perfect timing. I was just about to call you.”

Yeah, I bet you were, I thought bitterly. Probably to brag about your latest conquest.

“I’ve got some news,” I said, holding up the contract. “The acquisition’s done. Deal’s signed and sealed.”

My father’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. He practically leapt from his chair, snatching the contract from my hands. “Let me see that!”

I watched as he flipped through the pages, not really reading, just skimming. Leon was right - my father never actually read the contracts. He was too arrogant, too sure of his own brilliance to bother with the details.

“This is excellent work, son,” he beamed, clapping me on the shoulder. “I knew you had it in you. This deal is going to take us to the next level.”

I felt sick. Here he was, congratulating me on a deal that was about to bring his entire empire crashing down. And he had no idea.

“Thanks, Dad,” I managed, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. “But there’s something we need to talk about.”

He was still grinning, riding high on his perceived victory. “What’s that, son? Want to discuss your bonus? Because I’m thinking a big, fat check is in order after this win.”

I shook my head, feeling my anger start to bubble up. “No, Dad. I want to talk about the other deals. The shady ones. The ones where you’re running companies into the ground and profiting from their downfall.”

The smile dropped from his face so fast it was almost comical. “What are you talking about, Liam? That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” I challenged, my voice rising. “Because I’ve seen the evidence, Dad. The trail of bankruptcies, the insider trading. It’s all there, black and white.”

My father’s face hardened, his eyes turning cold. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, son. Business is complicated. Sometimes companies fail. It’s not personal, it’s just business.”

“Bullshit!” I exploded, slamming my hand on his desk. “It’s not just business when you’re deliberately tanking companies for your own gain. It’s not just business when you’re ruining people’s lives!”

He stood up, his face red with anger. “Watch your tone, boy. You have no idea what it takes to run a company like this. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions.”

“Tough decisions?” I scoffed. “Is that what you call fraud now? Jesus, Dad, do you even hear yourself?”

For a moment, we just stared at each other, the air thick with tension. Then, something in my father’s eyes changed. The anger faded, replaced by something colder, more calculating.

“Alright, Liam,” he said, his voice eerily calm. “You want the truth? Fine. Yes, I’ve made some aggressive business moves. Yes, I’ve profited from companies failing. But that’s the nature of the game. The strong survive, the weak perish. That’s how it’s always been.”

I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Hearing him admit it so casually, without a shred of remorse. It was worse than I’d imagined.

“How can you say that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “These are people’s lives you’re playing with. Their jobs, their futures.”

He shrugged, sitting back down in his chair. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, son. If I didn’t do it, someone else would. At least this way, our family benefits.”

I shook my head, disgust and disappointment washing over me in waves. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. I can’t believe I ever looked up to you.”

“Oh, grow up, Liam,” he sneered. “This is the real world. It’s not all kumbaya and holding hands. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to get ahead.”

That was it. The final straw. I’d heard enough.

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