Chapter 7 - The Settlement
Two hours later, the grand estate was quiet once more.
The sixty guests had been escorted out by federal agents after providing witness statements. Eleanor Dre had retired to her private quarters upstairs under the care of a personal physician, while Thomas Dre sat alone in his darkened study, staring at the cold ashes in the fireplace.
The heavy snow had begun to fall outside, blanketing the manicured lawns of Greenwich in a thick layer of silent white.
I sat in a comfortable leather armchair in the library, wrapped in a soft cashmere throw, a cup of warm peppermint tea resting on the small table beside me.
The heavy oak door opened, and Julian walked in.
He had removed his dark tactical coat, wearing a simple navy wool sweater, his silvered hair slightly damp from the snow outside. He carried two folder files in his hands.
He walked across the oriental rug and pulled up an armchair across from me, his gray eyes watching me with deep, genuine concern.
"How are you feeling, Evelyn?" Julian asked gently. "The paramedics outside said your blood pressure is stable, but you've had a traumatic night."
"The baby is kicking," I smiled faintly, touching my side. "She's a fighter. She doesn't like drama."
Julian let out a soft, low chuckle—a sound that carried a warmth Matthias had never possessed.
He laid the two folder files onto the coffee table between us.
"The federal prosecutors have already denied Matthias bail," Julian explained, his tone returning to a businesslike clarity. "Between the Cayman bank records you provided and the recorded confession from the vessel engineer in Finland, he will be facing twenty to thirty years in federal prison."
I looked down at the folders on the table. "And the company?"
"I am resuming my position as Chief Executive Officer of Dre Maritime tomorrow morning," Julian said. "My father is stepping down permanently."
He pushed the second folder toward me.
"This is a formal corporate restructuring agreement drafted by my personal attorneys," Julian continued softly. "It liquidates Matthias’s entire thirty-five percent equity stake in the firm and transfers it directly into an irrevocable trust for your daughter."
May you like
My breath caught in my throat. I stared at him in complete shock. "Julian... thirty-five percent of Dre Maritime is worth over eighty million dollars."
"It belongs to her, Evelyn," Julian said firmly, leaning forward and looking straight into my eyes. "She is a Dre, but more importantly, she is your daughter. You saved this family from destroying itself tonight. You deserve far more than a simple divorce settlement."
