Chapter 15 - Blood Is Not Loyalty

Thomas Vale had been Richard's younger brother.

For twenty years, they had barely spoken.

Thomas believed Richard had received too much control after their father's death.

Richard believed Thomas had nearly destroyed the family company through reckless investments.

Elena remembered him differently.

Uncle Thomas had brought her gifts as a child.

He taught her to sail.

He attended her college graduation.

Then he stopped coming to family events.

She had never known why.

At 1:30 p.m., Thomas answered Richard's call.

“Brother.”

Richard's voice was ice.

“You financed Julian.”

Thomas laughed.

“So you finally found it.”

Elena stood beside her father.

Richard put the call on speaker.

“You intended to purchase stolen assets.”

“No.”

Thomas sounded almost amused.

“I intended to purchase assets Julian believed he could deliver.”

Elena spoke.

“Why?”

A pause.

“Elena.”

“Why, Uncle Thomas?”

“Because your father has spent thirty years acting like the Vale empire belongs to him.”

Richard clenched his jaw.

“It belongs to the trust.”

“Controlled by you.”

“Protected by me.”

Thomas laughed again.

“Words.”

Elena stared at the contract.

“You were using Julian.”

“Of course.”

The admission was immediate.

“He was ambitious enough to betray you and stupid enough to believe I respected him.”

Elena felt strangely calm.

“Did he know who you were?”

“Not initially.”

“When did you tell him?”

“Eight months ago.”

The same month as the separation strategy.

Everything connected.

Julian had not merely discovered the trust.

Thomas had shown him fragments.

Enough to make Julian hungry.

Not enough to make him careful.

“Were you involved with the succession documents?”

Richard demanded.

“No.”

“The hospital?”

“No.”

“Claire?”

“No.”

“Then what did you do?”

“I offered Julian a path.”

Thomas's voice became colder.

“He wanted his own empire.”

“I wanted what should have been mine decades ago.”

Elena shook her head.

“So you both decided to take it from me.”

“No.”

Thomas replied.

“I expected Julian to fail eventually.”

Elena almost laughed.

“Then why invest?”

“Because failure creates distressed assets.”

Richard understood first.

“You planned to force a governance crisis.”

“Yes.”

“And then offer emergency capital.”

“Yes.”

Richard's hands curled into fists.

“You wanted the trust desperate.”

“I wanted the trust reasonable.”

Elena stepped closer to the phone.

“You funded a man who was destroying my marriage.”

Thomas became silent.

“You helped him investigate me.”

Another silence.

“You helped him believe he could take control if I disappeared.”

“Elena.”

“Did you know about Vanessa?”

“Yes.”

That answer hurt.

“You knew.”

“She was useful.”

Elena closed her eyes.

Everyone had been useful to these men.

Vanessa.

Marcus.

Claire.

Elena.

Even Julian.

All pieces on someone else's board.

Thomas continued.

“You should understand something.”

“I understand enough.”

“No.”

His voice hardened.

“Julian isn't finished.”

Elena opened her eyes.

“What does that mean?”

“He has one thing you don't know about.”

Richard stared at the phone.

“What?”

Thomas paused.

“I warned him not to use it.”

“Use what?”

“A document your grandfather signed before he died.”

Richard went pale.

Elena saw it.

“Dad?”

Thomas laughed softly.

“Ask your father about the Founder's Clause.”

The line went dead.

Elena turned toward Richard.

He did not meet her eyes.

“What is the Founder's Clause?”

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Richard slowly sat down.

And Elena realized there was still one family secret even she had never been told.