Chapter 8 - The Confrontation in the Grand Hall
By ten o'clock that evening, the grand hall was assembled with the entire senior executive board of the Duca enterprise, alongside the family’s head legal counsel.
Uncle Marco and Julian sat on a velvet sofa near the fireplace, surrounded by their personal corporate attorneys, looking arrogant despite the rain storm outside.
Lorenzo walked into the center of the hall. Standing beside him was Mrs. Harper, dressed in a clean, elegant navy wool dress provided by the estate stylist. And sitting on a plush ottoman near Lorenzo's knee was little Emma, wearing her pale pink dress, holding her one-eyed stuffed rabbit, with Pino resting his head comfortably on her lap.
"This meeting is an absurdity, Lorenzo!" Marco declared, standing up from the sofa. "You called the executive board to the estate at ten at night over a domestic staff dispute?!"
Lorenzo did not argue. He motioned to Frank, who activated the grand hall’s digital projection screen.
The high-definition display illuminated the room, showing the reconstructed 1994 land deed, the bank wire transfer logs from Marco to Renata, and the forensic fingerprint analysis from the state police.
The executive board members gasped, leaning forward in their chairs as they reviewed the ironclad evidence.
"Marco Duca," Lorenzo announced, his deep voice shaking the chandelier crystals above. "Thirty years ago, you suppressed Thomas Harper's co-ownership deeds to steal fifty percent of our commercial foundation. Today, you attempted to frame his surviving daughter to cover your crime."
Marco’s attorney stood up, trying to interject. "Mr. Duca! These documents are historical fragments! A common maid’s testimony holds no legal weight in a corporate charter!"
Little Emma slowly set her stuffed rabbit down on the ottoman. She stood up on her small white shoes, her wide, watery eyes looking directly at Uncle Marco.
"I saw Renata put the shiny box in Mama's locker," Emma said, her small, clear voice ringing through the quiet hall. "She told Mama that bad people would take us away."
The entire room fell into an absolute, breathtaking silence.
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The head legal counsel looked at Marco, his face filled with profound disgust. "Marco... the child's testimony, combined with the digital wire transfers and forensic prints, constitutes felony fraud and conspiracy under state law."
Marco fell back onto the sofa, his face turning pale as ash as his attorneys quietly closed their briefcases and stepped away from him.
