Chapter 14

Alex grabbed her hand and carefully pried her fingers open one by one, pressing his own palm beneath hers so she wouldn't hurt herself again.

Then he looked at Charles, his calm more terrifying than rage. "Mr. Quinn, you did all this to get at me?"

Charles laughed. "You're sharp, Mr. Walker.

"Horizon and the Walker family have been at war for twenty years, and Horizon has always come out behind. After the old man handed the Walker family over to you, your methods were even harsher than the previous generation's.

"In two years, you swallowed up fifteen percent of Horizon's market share. We couldn't beat you head-on, so we had to take another route."

His gaze moved back and forth between Alex and Olivia. "Mr. Walker, do you know what your biggest weakness is?"

Alex said nothing.

Charles answered his own question. "Olivia. She was your weakness five years ago, and she still is now. Control her, and it's the same as having your throat in my hand.

"When I laid this trap back then, I planned to strike when you fell apart after the breakup and the Walker family tore itself apart from the inside. I didn't expect you to be tougher than that.

"Instead of collapsing after the breakup, you only got more ruthless. So all I could do was wait. Wait for you two to meet again. Wait for you to fall for her again."

He lifted his glass toward Alex from across the room. "I waited five years for this. And today, I finally get to reel it in."

The office door was shoved open from outside. More than a dozen bodyguards in black rushed in and surrounded Alex and Olivia.

Charles stood up and stepped out from behind the desk. "Mr. Walker, now that you're here today, don't bother leaving. And the woman behind you isn't leaving either."

Alex didn't move. He didn't even spare the bodyguards a glance. "Charles, if you think I'd come here with the two of us and no backup, you're dreaming."

Charles's smile stiffened ever so slightly.

Alex took out his phone and pressed a button. The giant screen on the office wall suddenly lit up. File after file appeared on the display.

Call logs between Charles and William, transfer receipts, and bank records showing Horizon funneling money through shell companies into William's offshore accounts. There was also an audio recording.

Charles's voice came through the speakers, crystal clear. "William, that punk Nathan has to go inside.

"The heavier the sentence, the better. I want Olivia to never hold her head up again, and I want Alex to live with guilt for the rest of his life."

For the first time, Charles's face changed. "Where did you get that?"

Alex put his phone away. "You could use William, but I can't?

"This morning, in his office at the courthouse, he gave a full recorded confession. That includes how you planned the trap five years ago, how you fabricated evidence, and how you ordered him to suppress evidence that would've helped Nathan in court.

"Right now, the Ethics Commission and the District Attorney's Office are questioning him. To cut his sentence, he's already given up every deal he ever made with you, including your plan to make a move on me here today."

The office door was pushed open again.

This time, the people coming in weren't bodyguards. They were officers from the Financial Crimes Unit.

The middle-aged lead officer flashed his badge. "Charles Quinn, you are suspected of false accusation, witness tampering, bribery, and assault. You're coming with us."

Charles stared at Alex, and the composure in his eyes finally shattered. "You knew all along I'd make my move here?"

Alex's eyes were as cold as a midwinter night. "From the first text message you sent Olivia, I knew it was you.

"You had William summon her to the courthouse at ten while you waited here, planning to keep both us and the evidence once we got our hands on it.

"You used that trick on Nathan five years ago, and now you thought you could use it again.

"Charles, you're too full of yourself."

As the police led Charles away, he paused when he passed Olivia. He stopped for a second and looked down at her. "Ms. Hill, you won. But the seven years your brother lost, and the five years you lost, are never coming back."

Olivia raised her head and met his eyes.