Chapter 3 - The Heir’s Smile
Julian’s smile returned, but it no longer reached his eyes.
“The original engine was retired years ago,” he said. “The current
system is new, independently developed, and audited by outside experts.
Nobody here needs to hear family gossip.”
“Then you won’t mind if we check,” Victor replied.
“Grandfather, you’re tired.”
“I’m old, not helpless.”
Julian straightened and addressed the guests. “I apologize for this
disruption. Mr. Reyes was a talented programmer who became unstable
after a professional dispute. His widow is grieving, and the child has
been encouraged to believe a fantasy. We should show them some
compassion and move on.”
The words were smooth. They were also cruel. Mara felt every face turn
toward her, searching for a sign that Julian might be right.
Theo looked down at the board. “My dad wasn’t unstable.”
“No one said he was a bad father,” Julian answered. “But grief can make
people believe things that aren’t true.”
“My dad taught me chess when I was four. He taught me to lose without
lying and win without being mean. He said a man who needs everyone else
to believe he’s smart is usually afraid somebody will find out he
isn’t.”
A murmur passed through the ballroom. Julian’s cheeks colored.
Victor almost smiled. Elias had said something very similar during their
first training session, back when the boy was sixteen and fearless.
“Continue,” Victor said.
Julian watched the board, and for the first time that evening, he looked
afraid.
He had been twenty-two when the scandal broke. He remembered the
emergency meeting, the deleted server logs, and his father standing
beside him while the lawyers built a story around Elias. Julian had told
himself it was necessary. The company would have collapsed if investors
learned its flagship program contained stolen work and falsified
tournament data.
But Elias had not stolen the code. He had found the theft.
“Stop,” Julian said sharply. “This is over.”
Victor did not look up. “Why?”
“Because the board is being manipulated.”
“By whom?”
Theo lifted his eyes. “Then beat me.”
Silence struck the room.
Julian reached for the black queen. Victor slapped his hand away.
“You don’t get to touch the pieces,” the old man said. “Not anymore.”
The sentence was not about chess, and everyone heard it.
Victor turned to his chief of security. “Bring me the archive key.”
The guard hesitated. “Sir, Mr. Julian controls access.”
“Then bring me the key Julian thinks nobody knows about.”
Julian stepped backward toward the ballroom doors.
May you like
And Mara realized he was not leaving to calm the room.
He was leaving to destroy something.
