Chapter 26
The instinct to step in and shield my son was overwhelming. For decades, I had been the ultimate protector of the Whitmore legacy. I looked at Daniel, my maternal anxiety warring with the immense pride I felt seeing him stand so resolutely.
"Daniel, Marcus Vale is a convicted fraudster with nothing to lose," I cautioned, walking around my desk to face him. "He is angry, desperate, and he wants to drag you down into the mud with him. If you engage with him directly, things could get incredibly ugly."
"I know exactly who he is, Mom," Daniel replied calmly. "And I know exactly what he wants. He wants a settlement. He’s making noise so that we will pay him a massive, quiet sum to go away and stop publishing these lies."
"Which is why I should let Martin legally crush him," I insisted.
"If Martin crushes him behind closed doors, the rumors will always linger," Daniel explained, his voice steady and mature. "People will always whisper that the rich family just buried the truth. I need to address this in the light. I am the Chief Executive of this foundation now. If I hide behind you and Martin at the first sign of trouble, I have no business sitting in that chair."
I stared into his eyes, seeing the undeniable truth in his words. He was right. If I fought his battles forever, he would never truly own his leadership.
I took a deep breath, forcing my hands to relax at my sides. "Okay. How do you want to proceed?"
"I am going to invite him here," Daniel said simply.
"Here? To the foundation?" I asked, shocked.
"Yes. In broad daylight, surrounded by our staff and security," Daniel nodded. "I will offer him a meeting to discuss his 'grievances'. When he arrives, I will make it abundantly clear that the Whitmore Foundation does not pay extortion money. And I want Elias Vance in the room when I do it."
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I raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed by the strategic brilliance of the move. "You want the investigative journalist to witness the attempted extortion?"
"Elias wants a story about how legacy foundations handle scandals," Daniel smiled faintly. "I’m going to give him the best story of his career."
