Chapter 304 Chapter 304

Chapter 304 Chapter 304
Chapter 304

The next morning, Richard Castellan sat at the head of the polished oak boardroom table on the top floor of the Castellan corporate headquarters. Dressed in a tailored black suit, he sat surrounded by corporate lawyers, board members, and news crews who had set up cameras around the room. 

Richard maintained a solemn, grieving face for the cameras, holding a heavy gold fountain pen directly over the legal documents that would officially transfer all corporate power and assets into his name. He was seconds away from claiming everything Ethan had spent years building through sheer grit and sacrifice.

Before the tip of his pen could touch the signature line, the heavy double doors at the back of the boardroom burst open.

Ethan walked into the room, leaning on his wooden cane and placing his weight carefully on his bandaged leg. Isabelle stepped right alongside him, with Maria on his left, followed closely by Agent Miller and four armed federal officers. The entire room gasps in pure shock. The board members’ mouths all opened ajar as they stared in disbelief at the man who had been officially announced dead only twenty-four hours earlier

.
Richard stood up in total shock, his hands slamming down onto the polished wood table as his face turned pale. The gold pen slipped from his fingers, rolling across the mahogany desk before falling onto the floor.

The local Monterey press and paparazzi representatives present in the room went wild immediately. Camera flashes began exploding across the room, illuminating both the young heir and his stunned father in rapid succession.

Agent Miller stepped past the reporters, pulling her official FBI credentials out and holding them high above the crowd. "Listen up!" Agent Miller shouted, her voice echoing clearly over the camera shutters and loud chatter. "We are officers from the FBI, and we are here to publicly debunk all accusations made against Ethan Castellan regarding bullying and claims that he drove someone to commit suicide two years ago."

Agent Miller walked straight to the podium at the front of the room, plugging the metallic flash drive directly into the main media hub. Within seconds, the large digital presentation screens mounted on the boardroom wall lit up, overriding Richard's corporate slides.

Bank transfer receipts, recorded audio memos, and confidential files filled the screens for everyone in the room to read. The wire transfers showed Sam Keystone’s direct payments to the former university dean to fabricate Ethan’s disciplinary records, alongside Sam’s private journal notes outlining his plot against Ethan.

Agent Miller then gestured toward Isabelle, who stepped up beside Ethan in front of every camera lens. "Furthermore," Agent Miller announced firmly, "the supposed victim who allegedly committed suicide two years ago is alive, healthy, and standing right here."

The news feed was broadcast live across major local and national networks. Across Monterey, people stopped what they were doing to watch the broadcast. In local coffee shops, offices, and residential homes, crowds gathered around television screens, staring in utter disbelief as the truth exposed Richard’s massive fraud on live television.

Two federal agents moved in swiftly, stepping up to the head of the boardroom table and grabbing Richard’s arms. They pulled his wrists behind his back, clicking heavy steel handcuffs into place around his wrists on live television.

"You are under arrest for fraud, falsification of documents, attempted theft, and defamation," Agent Miller stated coldly, reading him his rights in front of the press. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court."

Richard struggled against the officers' grip, his composure shattering as he glared furiously across the table. He exchanged a deadly look with Ethan, his face twisting in rage as the cameras captured every second.

"Without me, you would not be here, Ethan!" Richard barked, his voice filled with venom as the officers began guiding him toward the exit doors. "I built the Castellan enterprise! I built this empire!"
Ethan stood his ground, resting both hands on the top of his wooden cane as he looked his father straight in the eyes without a single flinch.

"You built this empire, but you solemnly depended on the Drakes, and that is your business with them," Ethan said, his voice ringing out clearly over the flashing cameras.

"Wherever the Castellan empire is today, I took it there. It's my assets, everything was in my name, and your name belongs with the Drakes. You can figure that out yourself, Dad. You aren't supposed to be called a father. My father was dead to me since I was five years old, and my mother endured shit from a wicked man like you. I hope karma meets up with you."

Richard opened his mouth to shout back, but the federal officers yanked him backward, marching him through the open boardroom doors and down the hallway into custody.