The Trillionaire Son-in-Law

Chapter 6: Face-Slap at the Precinct

At the Federal Financial Crimes Unit headquarters. Damien sat on an unmarked sedan, his hands resting loosely on his lap. Marcus Vaughn followed close behind in a black Mercedes, maintaining a distance of three car lengths.

The car descended into the shadows of an underground garage. Pierce got out and opened the door for Damien.

"This way, Mr. Vaughn," the agent directed.

"William," Damien said, his voice low but firm.

Pierce either failed to hear him or chose to ignore the correction entirely. He turned and started walking away.

"I appreciate you allowing us to observe these proceedings, Agent Pierce," Marcus said, as he walked towards them. "As the legal representative for the family, my primary concern is that we strictly adhere to every legal protocol."

"Of course, Mr. Vaughn. We pride ourselves on running a transparent operation here," Pierce replied.

In the interrogation room. A heavy metal table was bolted directly into the floor, flanked by chairs. A wide mirror dominated one wall, its surface reflective.

Pierce gestured toward a chair. "Take a seat, Mr. Vaughn."

Damien complied, sitting on the hard plastic. Marcus, Tyler, and Gerald lined up against the back wall, looking like a grim tribunal. Tyler’s thumb hovered over his phone screen, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"This is better than I imagined," Tyler whispered to his father, his voice thick with malice. "I am going to post the booking photo the second it hits the system. I want the entire city to see the moment this fraud finally hits rock bottom."

Marcus silenced him with a sharp, sideways glance, though the quiet satisfaction in his own eyes was impossible to hide. He had been stewing in a mixture of confusion and resentment since the previous evening when Damien had somehow produced a necklace worth eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Today, he expected the mystery to end in handcuffs.

Pierce took his seat across from Damien and flipped open a manila folder. "Mr. William, or Mr. Vaughn, regardless of what you are calling yourself today, we are here to verify the Centurion Card used at Rousseau and Company. If that card is a forgery, you are facing a minimum of fifteen years in a federal facility. We are talking about felony credit card fraud, identity theft, and potential money laundering charges. I need to be sure about the gravity of your current situation."

Damien met the agent’s gaze without blinking. "I understand the situation perfectly."

"Good." Pierce extracted the black card from a plastic evidence bag, holding it up to the light to inspect the microprinting. "I have to hand it to you, this is a sophisticated piece of work. The craftsmanship is excellent. It almost managed to bypass the merchant's internal security."

"The card is legitimate," Damien stated.

Tyler let out a sharp, mocking laugh from the back of the room. "Officer, I applaud your attention to detail. This man has been a parasite on my family for the better part of a decade. He has a documented history of memory loss and can barely manage basic tasks. The idea that he possesses the financial standing required for a genuine Centurion Card is a statistical impossibility. It is high time he faced the consequences of his actions."

Marcus added his weight to the accusation, his voice dropping to a somber pitch. "My family has endured enough victimization at his hands."

Pierce nodded, rising from his chair. "I will run the card through our high-priority verification system. This process will take a few minutes as the federal database is exceptionally thorough. Remain here."

He exited the room, the heavy door clicking shut behind him. Tyler continued to tap away at his phone. Gerald kept his eyes fixed on his own shoes, while Marcus leaned forward, studying Damien.

"I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on you lately," Marcus said. "Specifically, how you suddenly acquired the capital for that jewelry. You are moving differently, and you speak with confidence".

Damien returned the stare. "Perhaps the circumstances of my life have simply improved."

"Perhaps." Marcus allowed a thin, cold smile to touch his lips. "Or perhaps you are involved in a high-stakes shell game, and you have finally run out of places to hide the pea."

The door swung open before Damien could respond. Pierce walked back in, holding a digital tablet. He sat down and stared at the data on the screen for a long, quiet moment, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Tyler leaned forward, unable to restrain himself. "Well? Is it a fake? When do we start the paperwork?"

Pierce looked up, his face pale. "This... there must be an error in the transmission."

Marcus straightened his tie. "What is the problem, Agent?"

"The card is authentic," Pierce said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Tyler’s smirk vanished instantly. "What did you say?"

"It is not just a standard card." Pierce turned the tablet around so the entire room could see the encrypted data. The screen was flashing with high-level clearance warnings and lines of red text. "This is a Tier-Zero Centurion. These are only issued to individuals with a verified personal net worth exceeding one billion dollars. It is the highest tier of private banking in existence."

The silence that followed was absolute, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioning.

"That is a lie," Tyler whispered, his face turning red.

Pierce looked at Damien in disbelief. "The records indicate there are only forty-seven holders of this specific account type globally. We are talking about sovereign royalty, global energy magnates, and the elite of the tech industry. And according to the central database, the primary cardholder is..." He paused, swallowing hard. "Damien Alexander William. The name on the account is William, not Vaughn."

The blood drained from Marcus’s face so quickly he looked as though he might faint. "William? As in... the William Empire?"

The question was left hanging in the air as the heavy doors at the end of the hallway were thrown open with a violent force that echoed through the interrogation room walls, and a rhythmic, heavy cadence of footsteps approached at a rapid pace.

The door to the room hit the wall with a thud.

A man in his sixties led the way. Behind him followed six attorneys, each carrying a leather briefcase. They looked less like lawyers and more like a demolition crew ready to tear the building down.

"Gentlemen," the lead man said."I have arrived to take Mr. William."

Agent Pierce stood so abruptly that his chair screeched against the floor. "Mr. Hale. I was not informed that you would be attending to this matter personally."

Victor Hale offered a smile that was as cold as a winter morning. "Agent Pierce. I presume your verification process has reached its natural conclusion?"

"Yes, sir." Pierce was visibly trembling now. "The card is beyond reproach. It appears there was a significant misunderstanding on our part. We are rescinding all allegations and dropping the charges immediately."

Victor turned his attention to Damien. "Master Damien, are you unharmed? Did these individuals subject you to any form of mistreatment?"

Tyler’s mouth hung open in a state of shock. "Master Damien?"

Damien stood up, calmly brushing a speck of lint from his jacket. "I am perfectly fine, Victor. I appreciate your prompt arrival."

"It is my distinct honor, sir." Victor’s eyes traveled across the room until they locked on Marcus Vaughn. "Ah, Marcus. It is a peculiar coincidence to find you in this setting. Tell me, do you finally recognize the man standing before you?"

Marcus attempted to speak, but his throat seemed to have seized. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, his hands shaking uncontrollably against his sides.

"You... you are..."

“He is Damien Alexander William. He is the sole legal heir to the entire William Empire, with a personal net worth of three point two trillion dollars. He is the very man you conspired to destroy eight years ago."

The room descended into a state of stunned paralysis.

Tyler fumbled his phone, and it hit the floor with a sharp crack. Gerald leaned against the wall, his breathing becoming shallow.

"I had no idea..." Marcus’s voice broke. "I was unaware that he had recovered his memory"

Victor took a step toward him. "Is that your intended defense? You accepted a payment of fifty million dollars from Raymond William to coordinate a fraudulent accident and falsify medical records to ensure the true heir remained incapacitated. Did you truly believe a man of his lineage would stay broken forever?"

Agent Pierce looked at Marcus with a mixture of horror and disgust. "Mr. Vaughn, are you telling me you are an accessory to the attempted murder of a William heir?"

Marcus made a desperate move toward the exit, but his path was immediately blocked by two of Victor’s attorneys. They stood in front of him like stone pillars.

"Do not concern yourself, Marcus. Mr. William has chosen not to press formal charges at this exact moment. However, you should expect a series of legal filings in the very near future. I would strongly advise you to retain the best counsel you can find. You will need a small army of them."

Damien finally spoke, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Please inform my wife, Sophia, that I will be staying at a hotel this evening".

He walked toward the door. As he passed Marcus, he stopped for a brief moment. He leaned in, his voice a whisper that only the lawyer could hear.

"By the way, Marcus, Raymond sends his regards. He expressed a great deal of disappointment in you”.

Marcus collapsed back into his chair.

"Mr. William, I want to extend my humblest apologies for this inconvenience. If there is anything the Bureau can do to assist you, please use this card to contact me directly at any hour."

Damien accepted the business card.

Victor led the procession through the precinct, the team of lawyers. Every officer and staff member in the building stopped to watch the spectacle.

Outside, Damien inhaled deeply, feeling the cool wind against his face. A black sedan idled at the curb, and leaning against the fender was Elena Frost. She was dressed in her signature black attire, her dark hair pulled back, and her expression unreadable.

"That was quite a performance,” she remarked as Damien approached.

Victor immediately stepped into a defensive position, his hand reaching for the concealed holster beneath his jacket. "Miss Frost. I suggest you maintain a respectful distance."

Elena offered a faint, amused smile. "Stand down, Victor. I am merely here to convey a message from Raymond. He is requesting a meeting”.

“Tell Raymond that I will meet with him on my timeline, not his."

"He anticipated that response." Elena pushed off from the car. "He also told me to tell you that your father would be deeply disappointed in how slowly you are moving."

Damien’s eyes darkened with a sudden anger. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Elena’s voice remained calm. "Raymond is aware that Tristan is still alive. He made it very clear that if you do not agree to this meeting soon, accidents can still happen to people who think they are successfully hiding."

She reached into her pocket and brought out a small card, holding it out toward him. Damien took it, his jaw tight with rage.

"Friday night at eight. The old William Estate. He expects you to come alone."

Elena turned and walked away. Victor was already on his mobile phone, issuing a series of rapid-fire orders. "Yes, I want the security at the safe house tripled. Rotate the guards every two hours. Maintain a one-mile perimeter of total exclusion."

He ended the call and looked at Damien with concern. "Master Damien, this is an obvious provocation. It is a trap."

Damien looked down at the card. “I am aware of the danger. But if Raymond has information regarding my father, I cannot afford to ignore this."

"Then we will go with a full tactical team and secondary support," Victor insisted.

"No." Damien placed the card in his pocket. "The instructions were clear."

"Caution is a virtue, sir, not a sign of weakness."

Damien looked at Victor.

“I know. But Raymond needs to realize that the man he broke eight years ago no longer exists. I am not afraid of him."

Victor nodded slowly.

" As you wish, Master Damien. However, I will have teams positioned in the surrounding area. Just in case the situation deteriorates."

They entered the waiting car and pulled away from the curb. Damien looked back at the precinct one last time. Through the glass entrance, he could see Marcus Vaughn still slumped in the interrogation room, surrounded by agents who were now viewing him through the lens of a criminal investigation.

The face-slap was over. Marcus’s life had been dismantled in a matter of minutes. But the satisfaction was hollow, because the real architect of the nightmare was still out there. Raymond was the ultimate target, the man who had orchestrated the fall of the William house and who now held a knife to his father’s throat.

Friday night was approaching, and the final reckoning was only beginning.