His Mafia Redemption

Chapter 16 :The Contract

The slap still rang in Richard’s ears as silence filled the large company hall.

 Kathleen Warren stood firm, her chest rising and falling with anger, while Dianne clung to Richard’s arm, trying to keep him steady. His cheek still burned from her hand, but he didn’t move. He knew this fight wasn’t over — not yet.

Kathleen’s eyes were sharp as knives as she looked between Richard and Brian. “You think you can walk in here and embarrass my family? You think one little scene can change what we already know about you?”

Richard said nothing. He only stared back, calm and quiet. He had earlier wanted to speak up but the firm hands of Dianne pressed against his arms had him under control. 

Kathleen turned to Brian with a softer tone. “Don’t mind him, Brian. He’s just desperate. Trying to make himself look good in front of everyone.”

Brian adjusted his tie and tried to recover from his earlier shock. “Mrs. Warren, you don’t have to explain anything. Some people just don’t know when to accept defeat.”

“Enough,” Dianne cut in sharply, her voice trembling with emotion. “Stop pretending, Brian. We both know what you’ve been doing!”

Kathleen whipped around to her daughter. “You’re still defending him?” she shouted. “After all the shame he’s brought to this family? Dianne, wake up! This man has nothing! He can’t even provide for you!”

Dianne’s eyes filled with tears. “He may have nothing now, but at least he’s honest, unlike—”

“Enough!” Kathleen snapped again, her voice echoing. “Richard, I warned you before. I told you to prove your worth by getting that Denali Clean Energy contract. If you can’t even do that, then don’t bother coming back to this house. You can as well kiss your marriage goodbye!”

The words hit Richard hard. Even though he was expecting them, hearing them still made his chest ache. He took a deep breath and said quietly, “I got the contract.”

Kathleen froze. “What did you just say?”

Gerald Warren, who had been silent all along, finally stepped forward. His face was calm, but his tone carried weight. “You’re saying you got the contract? The one from Robertson Group?”

“Yes, sir,” Richard replied.

Brian burst out laughing. “Oh, please. That’s impossible. The Robertson deal? You?” He laughed again, shaking his head. “You don’t even have the connections, Richard. Don’t make a fool of yourself.”

Richard didn’t look at him. He kept his eyes on Kathleen and Gerald. “I signed the contract in my name.”

Kathleen scoffed loudly. “You expect me to believe that? You, who couldn’t even get a single investor to trust you, suddenly got the Robertson Group to sign a deal?” She turned to the nearby employees who were whispering. “You see this? This man is a liar. He’s bewitched my daughter with sweet words and false promises!”

Richard clenched his fists but stayed calm. Dianne tried to speak, but Kathleen raised a hand to silence her.

Brian smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. “Why don’t you stop pretending, Richard? You and I both know who the Robertsons deal with. If they were going to sign that contract, it would be with me. Not you.”

Richard turned to him slowly. “Then tell me, Brian… Did you get the contract?”

Brian’s smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained it. “I’m working on it. I would have had it already if your wife wasn’t so stubborn.”

Dianne glared at him. “Don’t you dare bring me into this.”

Brian sneered. “Why not? You’re the reason I haven’t gotten what I want. If you had agreed to leave this loser and marry me, the Robertsons would have already signed.”

Gasps echoed around the hall. Even Kathleen’s eyes widened slightly.

“You’re disgusting,” Dianne spat. “I would never marry someone like you, even if Richard had nothing!”

Brian’s face darkened. “You’ll regret saying that.”

Richard took a step forward, his voice steady. “The only one who’ll regret anything here is you, Brian.”

Everyone turned to him as he slipped his hand into his pocket. Slowly, he pulled out an envelope sealed with a red wax stamp. The sight of it made Brian’s smirk disappear.

“What’s that?” Brian asked, his voice uneven.

Richard raised the envelope. “Proof,” he said simply. “The Denali Clean Energy contract. Signed and sealed.”

The whole room went silent. Even Kathleen’s face was drained of color.

Gerald reached for the envelope with a trembling hand. He turned it over and saw the golden seal of the Robertson Group. His fingers shook as he opened it and began to read.

Kathleen’s voice came out weakly. “Gerald… what does it say?”

“ Can you give me a sec?” he said with command. 

Gerald’s eyes moved over the document for several long seconds. Finally, he looked up. “It’s real.”

The employees gasped again. Murmurs spread across the room like wildfire.

Kathleen’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her face went pale, her pride melting away. “That can’t be true…” she whispered.

Brian took a step forward, his voice rising in anger. “That’s fake! It has to be fake! There’s no way he got that contract!” He turned to the employees, desperate. “He’s lying! He forged it!”

Richard met his eyes with a small, calm smile. “Call the Robertsons, Brian. Confirm it yourself.”

Brian hesitated for a moment, then pulled out his phone and made the call. The room was dead silent as everyone watched him.

“Hello, this is Brian from Delux Enterprises,” he said quickly into the phone. “Can you confirm whether you recently signed a deal with a man named Richard… yes, Richard Tucker.”

He paused, waiting for a reply. His face shifted from confidence to disbelief.

“What?” he said, his voice suddenly shaky. “You— you actually signed with him? No, that’s impossible! We were in talks for weeks!”

His hand trembled. “But why him?”

Whatever answer came from the other end made him freeze completely. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

Then he hung up slowly, lowering the phone from his ear. His eyes darted to Richard, filled with rage and shock.