Ryan: Hello, Arthur.
Arthur: Ryan! Where on earth are you?! The quarterly board meeting started ten minutes ago!
Ryan: I had an urgent personal matter to attend to, Arthur.
Arthur: Personal matter? What could possibly be more important than voting on the restructuring of the family trust today?
Ryan: Five years ago, Arthur. What happened to the two hundred thousand dollars you wrote off as a legal settlement?
There was a sharp, sudden silence on the other end of the line. Arthur's heavy breathing was the only sound coming through the speaker.
Arthur: What are you talking about, Ryan? That was settled years ago. Why are you bringing up that girl now?
Ryan: Because I just ran into Emily at the airport, Arthur.
Arthur: What?! She's back in town?!
Ryan: She never took your check, Arthur. She didn't sign a single paper. You forged her signature and pocketed the trust money yourself!
Arthur: She's lying to you, Ryan! She's a gold digger trying to manipulate you again!
Ryan: She raised three of my sons alone for five years without asking for a single penny from this family!
Arthur: Three... three sons?!
Ryan smiled coldly, looking over at the couch where Leo, Toby, and Sam were happily drinking their juice boxes.
Ryan: Three biological heirs to the Vance family estate, Arthur. Which means your claim as primary trustee is officially void under my father's will.
Arthur: Listen to me, Ryan! You cannot bring those illegitimate children into the corporate structure!
Ryan: They are not illegitimate! They are my sons, and Emily is the only woman I will ever love!
Arthur: If you bring them to the board meeting, I will fight you in court until you don't have a single dollar left!
Ryan: Try it, Arthur. I have five years of forensic audit files stored in my private safe. I know about the offshore accounts in Nassau.
Arthur let out a horrified gasp before abruptly hanging up the phone call.
Emily stood up from the barstool, her hands trembling slightly as she looked at Ryan.
Emily: What offshore accounts, Ryan?
Ryan: Two years ago, I started noticing discrepancies in the company dividend payouts. I hired a private investigator to look into Arthur's transactions.
Emily: You already knew he was stealing from the trust?
Ryan: I knew he was embezzling money, but I didn't know why he pushed you away five years ago. Now I realize he did it so there wouldn't be any legal heirs to challenge his authority.
Emily: He stole our family's future just to keep control of a corporation?
Ryan: He thought he could play me like a pawn forever. But today, his game is completely over.
Leo ran over to Ryan, holding a plastic toy car he had found under the coffee table.
Leo: Daddy, look! The wheels spin real fast!
Ryan knelt down, taking the toy car and smiling warmly into his son's eyes.
Ryan: That's a great car, Leo. How would you boys like to go meet a bunch of grumpy old men in suit jackets and show them who the real bosses are?
Leo: Yeah! Can we wear fancy suits like yours?
Ryan: Absolutely, buddy. We're going to get you the best suits in the city.