Chapter 10 - THE MAN WHO LOST HIS EMPIRE
Callum's downfall did not happen in one dramatic moment.
It happened through documents.
Meetings.
Frozen transactions.
Withdrawn financing.
And the slow realization that the people who once obeyed him were beginning to ask questions.
The legitimate companies faced scrutiny.
Several executives resigned.
Investors demanded explanations.
Callum's criminal operations also came under pressure as authorities examined related financial activity.
He could no longer pretend the two worlds were separate.
One evening, he sat alone in his office.
The city glittered beyond the windows.
His desk was covered with reports.
For the first time in decades, he had no one to blame.
He thought about Rosalind.
The young woman who had corrected his first financial model.
The mother who had raised their sons while helping build the company.
The wife who had stood beside him through every crisis.
He had spent years treating her loyalty as something guaranteed.
Now she was gone.
He called Gideon.
His son answered.
“Dad.”
Callum swallowed.
“How's your mother?”
“She's working.”
“On Bellwether?”
“Yes.”
Callum looked down.
“Is she happy?”
Gideon hesitated.
“She's finding her way.”
Callum closed his eyes.
Then asked:
“Do you hate me?”
Silence.
Gideon finally said:
“No.”
Callum exhaled.
Then his son continued.
“But I don't trust you.”
The words hurt more than hatred would have.
Callum nodded.
“I understand.”
For the first time, he did.
The next morning, he instructed his attorneys to cooperate with the investigation and begin separating the legitimate businesses from unlawful activities.
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It would not erase his responsibility.
But it was the first step toward facing it.
