Chapter 53: A Future
An hour later, the sound of the office doors slamming open startled even Naomi outside.
"Where is he?" Elizabeth Winters’ voice boomed through the hallway.
Before Naomi could respond, the matriarch had already pushed past her and stormed into Stefan’s office like a hurricane, her heels clicking furiously against the marble floor.
Stefan was seated behind his desk, calm and collected, as though he’d expected this.
Ruby stood beside him, eyes widening at the sight of Elizabeth’s flushed face and furious expression.
"What in heaven’s name have you done?" Elizabeth shouted, marching right up to Stefan’s desk and slamming her purse down. "How could you humiliate your uncle like that in front of the entire board? It’s all over the news! You had him dragged out of the building like a criminal!"
"Because he is one, mom," Stefan said coolly, not even flinching.
Elizabeth looked stunned. "Excuse me?"
"He stole from the company, Mother," Stefan said, voice firm but respectful. "For years. Millions. From employee benefit funds, from pension accounts. We have the documents. Verified. I didn’t accuse him—I proved it."
"I don’t care!" Elizabeth snapped, face flushed. "You don’t treat family like that. You could have handled it privately. He’s your uncle, Stefan. Your blood."
"I never told Richard to steal," Stefan said, standing slowly. "I never told him to forge signatures or siphon money through dummy accounts. He made those choices. And now he gets to live with the consequences."
Elizabeth’s eyes darted to Ruby, then back to Stefan. "You’re letting her fill your head—"