Chapter 16 - THE LAST TRAITOR
Marcus detained Tessa before confronting her.
She denied placing the device.
A search of her locker revealed cash, a second passport, and messages from Conrad.
Tessa had worked for my security team for eight months.
Helena recruited her before my trip.
Her assignment was to monitor Marcus and ensure the independent security network could be disabled if necessary.
She failed to locate the hidden server.
After Clara’s hospitalization, Tessa pretended to support us while reporting every decision to Helena’s attorneys.
Most dangerously, she had access to Clara’s medical information.
Tessa sent ultrasound images and appointment schedules to Conrad.
The nursery message had not been an impulsive threat.
It was part of a continuing effort to terrorize Clara into withdrawing from the case.
Marcus blamed himself.
“She passed every background investigation.”
“Helena knew what those investigations covered,” I said.
“She helped design the family security standards.”
Tessa agreed to cooperate after prosecutors confronted her with the evidence.
She revealed a final plan.
Victor Lang’s group did not expect to win the shareholder vote legally.
They intended to release falsified medical records suggesting Clara’s child was not mine.
The scandal would damage my credibility and divide investors.
A laboratory report had already been fabricated.
The report used DNA stolen from my hairbrush and an unrelated sample labeled as fetal material.
Clara read the document without speaking.
The implication was cruel and obvious.
Helena wanted the public to believe Clara had been unfaithful.
The same lie she attempted years earlier.
“We should release the evidence before they do,” Nathan said.
Clara shook her head.
“That makes it look as though we are defending against a real accusation.”
“What do you suggest?” I asked.
“Let them release it.”
I stared at her.
“Clara.”
“They want me ashamed.”
She placed one hand over her stomach.
“I’m done letting them decide what embarrasses me.”
The false report appeared online the morning of the shareholder meeting.
Within minutes, financial news networks repeated it.
Vale Global stock fell eleven percent.
Reporters surrounded the entrance to the tower.
Clara and I arrived together.
She wore a navy suit.
The burns on her hands remained visible.
A reporter shouted, “Mrs. Vale, is Julian the father of your baby?”
Clara stopped.
Security attempted to move her forward.
She turned toward the cameras.
“My child’s private medical information was stolen by people currently under criminal investigation.”
Another reporter asked whether she denied the report.
Clara looked directly into the lens.
“I deny giving strangers the right to demand proof about my marriage.”
Then she walked inside.
The clip spread across every network before the meeting began.
Instead of weakening her, the attack revealed exactly what Helena’s allies were willing to do.
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But Victor still controlled enough disputed shares to force the vote.
The future of the company would be decided within the hour.
