Chapter 47 - The Confession on the Aegean
With Julian at the helm, the *Zephyr* powered through the dark Aegean swell, carving a white wake toward the lights of the Greek mainland.
Julian had patched our radio into the secure international maritime registry frequencies, using the sovereign clearance codes Arthur had embedded within the master deed. The response had been immediate: three Hellenic Coast Guard cutters were already scrambling from Syros to escort us into the port of Piraeus.
In the salon, I opened Richard’s personal laptop, which sat unlocked on the console.
"Don't touch that," Richard hissed from the chair, straining against his restraints. "That's private corporate property—"
"Everything you own was bought with stolen money, Richard," I said without looking up.
As I scrolled through the encrypted directories, using the security passcodes I remembered from our early years in Boston—dates and names he had been too lazy to change—the full scope of the conspiracy unfurled on the screen.
It wasn't just Helena Cassian. Richard had orchestrated a private kickback scheme involving the port directors of Naples, Marseille, and Piraeus. He had intentionally routed Vance Maritime tankers into intercepted waters, orchestrating false seizures that drove down company valuation so Helena’s front funds could purchase the shipping rights for pennies on the dollar.
Every betrayal, every ruined harbor worker in Maine, every cold lie he had told me while kissing my cheek before leaving for 'emergency board meetings'—it was all documented in black and white spreadsheets.
"You didn't just cheat on me, Richard," I said, turning the screen toward him. "You committed treason against three maritime nations."
"They won't convict me," he sneered, though the beads of cold sweat on his forehead told a different story. "I have diplomatic immunity through the Panamanian maritime trust. My lawyers will have me out of custody before your cutter docks in Athens."
"Not this time," a voice said from the companionway.
May you like
Julian stepped into the salon, holding an open satellite phone. "That was the Ministry of Merchant Marine in Athens. They just received the transmission of the master deed and Arthur's sovereign charter. The Panamanian trust was revoked forty minutes ago under international anti-piracy covenants. You aren't an executive anymore, Richard. You're cargo."
***
