Chapter 486
Chapter 486:
Richard knew the release was scheduled to hit every major financial news outlet simultaneously. By the time markets opened, Kane Industries would be facing not just stock manipulation but criminal allegations that would destroy the company completely.
He picked up his phone and began making calls.
“Tom, it’s Richard Lewis… I need an emergency favor… There’s a fraudulent press release about to go live targeting my daughter’s company… Yes, I know it’s late, but this can’t wait until morning…”
One call became ten. Ten became twenty. Richard worked through his contact list with methodical precision, calling in favors accumulated over thirty years of business relationships. Newspaper editors who owed him for charitable donations. Television producers whose careers he’d supported. Digital platform executives whose companies had benefited from Lewis family investments.
By five AM, the press release had been blocked from every major outlet. Legal injunctions had been filed. Criminal complaints about securities fraud were being prepared.
But blocking the attack wasn’t enough. Richard needed to confront the man who had violated his daughter’s trust so completely.
At seven AM, Richard Lewis stood outside Alexander Pierce’s penthouse building. The doorman recognized him immediately—the Lewis family name carried weight in every corner of Manhattan society. “Mr. Lewis? Is everything all right?”
“I need to see Alexander Pierce. Tell him it’s urgent.”
The elevator ride to the penthouse felt endless. Richard’s anger had been building for hours, fueled by every document he’d read, every piece of evidence that showed how thoroughly Alexander had deceived Camille.
Alexander answered the door looking haggard and exhausted. His expensive shirt was wrinkled, his hair uncombed, his eyes bloodshot from sleepless nights. When he saw Richard, his face went white. “Mr. Lewis? I wasn’t expecting—”
“We need to talk.” Richard pushed past Alexander into the penthouse without invitation.
The apartment was a mess. Empty bottles on the kitchen counter. Takeout containers scattered across expensive furniture. The remnants of a life that had fallen apart when the lies became too heavy to carry.
“Sit down,” Richard commanded.
Alexander remained standing, his jaw set in stubborn lines. “If you’re here about Camille—”
“I’m here about Kane Industries. I’m here about the stock manipulation, the stolen security plans, the surveillance photos of Victoria.” Richard’s voice was deadly quiet. “I’m here about the press release you scheduled to destroy my daughter’s company this morning.”
Alexander’s face crumpled. “How did you…”
“How did I find out? You mean besides the fact that you’ve been sloppy enough to leave digital fingerprints all over your crimes?” Richard pulled out a folder thick with evidence. “I have documentation of every illegal access to Kane Industries systems. Every stolen document. Every manipulated stock trade.”
.
.
.