Chapter 14 - SILENT VENGEANCE
The fallout was instantaneous.
By noon, news of the federal raid on Harrison Group made international headlines. The New York Stock Exchange halted trading on Harrison Group shares as the stock dropped to zero within minutes. TV crews surrounded the firm's Manhattan headquarters as federal agents carried out boxes of seized hard drives and financial documents.
In his private office overlooking Central Park, David Harrison sat in the dark. The phone on his desk rang relentlessly, but he didn't answer it. His empire had crumbled in less than six hours.
The door opened softly.
Richard stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He walked slowly toward the desk and sat down in the leather armchair.
"It’s over, David," Richard said quietely.
David looked up, his face gray and haggard. "I gave Claire everything. I made her who she was."
"You killed her because she had a conscience," Richard corrected. "Something you sacrificed decades ago."
"What happens now?" David whispered, his voice dry.
"The FBI is downstairs in the lobby," Richard said. "They are giving you five minutes to walk down on your own feet, or they will come up here and drag you out in chains in front of every news camera in North America."
David looked at the drawer of his desk, where a polished nickel-plated revolver rested in a velvet box.
May you like
Richard noticed his gaze. "Don't bother, David. Cowards like you don't take the easy way out. You love yourself too much."
David closed his eyes, a single tear cutting through the dust on his cheek. He slowly pushed himself up from his chair, adjusted his jacket one final time, and walked toward the door.
