It was nearly two in the morning when Leo’s scream tore through the mansion.

Victoria realized she was cornered. The defiant mask shattered, and she slumped into a chair, burying her face in her hands as silent, bitter tears fell.

“He promised he wouldn't actually hurt the boy,” she sobbed, her voice small and pathetic. “He said it would just cause bad dreams and make him fussy. Just enough to break your focus.”

“And you were fine with that?” I asked, feeling physically sick looking at her. “You watched him cry. You watched him claw at his skin. And you lied to my face every single day.”

She didn't answer. She only wept.

I turned to Marcus. “Call the authorities. Not local police—reach out to federal investigators. File charges for corporate fraud, child endangerment, and attempted poisoning. And make sure the arrest warrant includes Richard Vance.”

“Right away, sir,” Marcus said, turning toward the door.

“Wait,” Clara spoke up from the corner of the room. She stepped forward, her eyes sharp and clear. “Mr. Sterling, arresting them now puts them in a controlled legal environment. But it doesn't dismantle Richard’s network inside your board of directors. If we call the feds publicly today, his co-conspirators on the board will scrub their digital footprints and distance themselves.”

I paused, looking at the wise old nanny. “What are you suggesting, Clara?”

“A trap,” she said calmly. “Let Richard think Victoria is still succeeding. Let him believe the takeover documents are ready to be signed tomorrow. Get him in the same room, under the guise of finalizing the transfer. That’s when you catch him with definitive proof.”

Marcus nodded in agreement. “She’s right, Mr. Sterling. Richard has been hiding behind shell companies. If we lure him out into the open, we can trap him legally, corporately, and criminally all at once.”

I looked at Victoria, who was watching us with wide, terrified eyes.

“Victoria,” I said coldly. “You want a way out of a twenty-year prison sentence? You’re going to make a phone call.”

She shrank back. “What... what kind of phone call?”

“You’re going to call Richard,” I replied, tossing her encrypted phone onto her lap. “You’re going to tell him that the boy is subdued, the corporate documents are signed, and I’m ready to meet him tomorrow morning to finalize the transfer of shares at my private office downtown. You’ll tell him I suspect nothing.”

Victoria stared at the phone as if it were a venomous snake. “And if I refuse?”

“Then you rot in federal prison for the rest of your natural life,” I said flatly. “Choose wisely.”

With trembling fingers, Victoria picked up the phone. She dialed the number. As the line rang, my heart hammered against my ribs. This was the moment of truth. If Richard sensed anything amiss, our chance to wipe out his entire syndicate would vanish.

The line connected.

“Speak,” Richard’s cold, familiar voice echoed through the speaker.

Victoria swallowed hard, glancing up at me before speaking into the microphone. “Richard... it’s done. James signed the papers. He suspects nothing. He wants to meet tomorrow morning at the downtown office to finalize everything... just the two of us.”

There was a long, tense pause on the other end of the line. My fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Then, Richard chuckled darkly.