98

The gentle hum of computers whirred through the war room under the Coleman-Hartmann estate, their screens casting Liana Coleman's determined face in pale illumination. Side by side, she and Alexander Cole pored over spreadsheets that were thick with lengthy chains of transactions—offshore accounts, shell corporations, and encrypted wire transfers. A single pattern emerged: small deposits dripping into a family trust, then exploding in lump sums to a holding company bearing the initials M.V.

Alex struck a keystroke, expanding a line of information. "Look at this," he said, his voice strained with excitement and exhaustion. "These transfers started five years ago, right after the Riverton project collapsed. And the receiving account is in the name of a trustee in Geneva—Malachi Voss."

Liana took a sharp breath. The name was a cold blade against her ribs. "Voss?" she breathed, repeating it. She rummaged through a file of legal memos, rifle-sharp now that they had a name. "There's an old lawsuit on file here—Ruth and Leo versus Mortimer & Voss Partners. Malachi must be Julius Voss's grandson."

Alex nodded. "Julius Voss was Ruth and Leo's old partner, the one they strong-armed out in '98. He lost everything—and, legend has it, spent his last days broke and broken."

Liana's heart raced. "This is generational vengeance." She slammed her laptop shut. "He's been building his case in secret—and in revenge.".

There were footsteps in the corridor. Ruth Coleman entered, posture straight but eyes strained. She glanced at the screens. "What have you found?"

Liana drew a breath. "Malachi Voss," she stated, voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through her system. "He's the financial backer of all the attacks we've survived: hacking, lawsuits, boardroom coups, even the psychological attacks. He's Julius Voss's grandson."

Ruth's hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes widened, tears brimming at the edges. "Julius…" she whispered. "He was my first partner—my best friend. We built that company together. And then we…destroyed him."

Liana squeezed her mother's hand. "It makes a lot of sense now," she said softly. "His vendetta is more than business.".

Alex rose from the corner, walking over to Ruth, his expression compassionate. "He's been using Malachi's resources—and your past mistakes—to turn every blow into a personal attack." He paused, his gaze moving to Liana. "But now we know who he is. We can hold him responsible."

Ruth exhaled, steeling herself. "I thought those old wounds were buried," she admitted, voice trembling. "But I underestimated his resentment."

Liana turned to Alex. “Let’s bring Leo in.”

Leo Hartmann waited in the adjoining conference room, pacing before the mahogany table. At the door, Liana and Alex entered, their faces grim but resolute. The moment he saw Malachi’s name on Liana’s laptop screen, his shoulders stiffened.

“Malachi Voss,” Leo said, voice tight. “I thought it was just rumor.”

Liana stepped forward. "He's alive—and he's behind every assault on our family and business." She set the laptop down and brought up Julius Voss's old case file: a 1998 settlement agreement, signed with rough dignity by Ruth and Leo. "You both defeated Julius in bankruptcy. He lost his business, his reputation…maybe even his faith in you as partners."

Leo's jaw clenched. "We made the agreement in good faith. His assets were collateral; he defaulted." His voice cracked in his throat. "I never meant to destroy him."

Liana's eyes burned with fierce compassion and outrage. "Intent doesn't erase harm. Julius died bankrupt and broken. And now his grandson has turned that pain into a weapon against us.

Alex said, his voice steady. "We do have the evidence—transaction records, forged board minutes, communications between Malachi and his operatives. We can criminally charge him with racketeering and fraud. And we can civilly sue for damages and defamation."

Leo massaged his hair. "What do you need me to do?"

Liana laid a hand on his arm. "Your testimony about Julius's conduct, the board minutes, all records from that time. Full disclosure, no more secrets." Her eyes burned with resolve. "We fight him with every truth we have.".

Ruth crossed her arms, eyes sparkling but determined. "I'll speak to the trust I placed in Julius—and how I violated it when we took over our partnership. It's time we own our past."

Leo exhaled, relief and regret at war within him. "Then let's get on with it."

Late into the night, the four of them—Liana, Alex, Leo, and Ruth—sat in the great library, its leather tomes and subdued splendor a jarring contrast with the virtual chaos they explored. The oak table groaned under a stack of files: minutes of board meetings past, bank statements, and email threads recovered from Julius's archives.

Alex stood at a projection screen, highlighting the money trail. “From 1998 to today, Malachi’s front companies siphoned sixteen million dollars from shell accounts, each route ending here,” he said, pointing to a node labeled Voss Holdings Ltd. “That money funded every sabotage: the hacking, the smear campaigns, the blackmail.”

Ruth's eyes blazed as she nodded. "I remember faint rumors of a family trust—an inheritance we were unaware of. Malachi must have been raised believing we'd stolen his birthright."

Liana tapped her pen on the table. "He's been constructing a case of emotional vengeance and weaponizing it with legal artillery." She glanced at her family. "But with this evidence, we can make a RICO case—racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering. We unmask him in court."

Leo took a folder. "And I'll give you a notarized affidavit explaining Julius's mismanagement and the legal grounds for the 1998 settlement." He looked at Ruth, regret evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry for what we did."

Ruth squeezed his hand. "We can't change the past, but we can face it."

Liana stepped forward, her voice steady but fierce. “We’ll draft the complaint tonight. File by first light. This ends our fear—we go on offense.”

Alex drew a breath, pride shining in his eyes. “And I’ll handle the PR strategy—present it as a family seeking justice, not revenge.”

They worked in fruitful silence, the tap of keys and rustle of papers shattering the stillness of the large room. Each submission was a bulwark against Malachi's attacks. When the faint light of dawn crept through stained-glass windows, they packaged the final documents.

Ruth held the finished complaint in her arms, the weight of truth and accountability in every printed page. "Are we ready?" she asked, voice steady.

Liana nodded, shoulders back. She placed a hand on the folder. "We are."

Outside, snow-fed clouds scudded across a rising sun, casting long shadows across the estate's lawn. Inside, the family was for the first time in months united in purpose. Malachi Voss's name had been discovered, his centuries-old grudge laid bare. The relief of knowing was tempered by the horror of what court proceedings would unleash—a public reckoning of every secret, every sin.

But side by side—Lionia and Alex, Ruth and Leo—they were stronger than the horror that had hunted them. Their love, forged in tribulation and tempered by truth, was ready to confront the evil in its den.

As the lawyers stepped out to begin the day's filings, Liana turned to Alex. "We did it," she whispered.

He took her hand, eyes gleaming. "Together."