Chapter 6 - The Four Little Kings
At 1:45 PM, a fleet of three black Suburbans pulled up to the glittering glass tower of Montgomery Development Headquarters on Federal Street.
The lobby was packed with reporters, camera crews, and corporate guards. Word had leaked that a massive showdown was about to take place on the 40th floor.
The elevator doors opened on the ground floor.
I stepped out, dressed in a sharp charcoal suit. Beside me was Clara, radiating quiet elegance in a cream coat. Walking between us, dressed in matching navy blazers, grey trousers, and tiny leather dress shoes, were four identical six-year-old boys.
Flashbulbs exploded across the lobby like a snowstorm. Cameras zoomed in on the four boys who possessed the legendary Montgomery face.
The boys didn't cry. They didn't hide. Guided by Clara’s gentle touches and my confident presence, they walked through the lobby with their heads held high.
Julian looked up at the towering glass atrium, then looked at his brother Leo. "Look, Leo! Dad’s building is bigger than our school!"
"It’s not my building yet, buddy," I smiled down at him, squeezing his small hand. "But today, we're going to remind everyone who built it."
We took the private executive elevator straight to the 40th floor.
When the doors slid open, six security guards were standing near the double mahogany doors of the grand boardroom. At the sight of me and the four boys, the chief guard—a veteran officer named Marcus who had worked for my father—instantly stepped aside and pressed the door release button.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Montgomery," Marcus said respectfully, bowing his head slightly. "The board is waiting."
I pushed the heavy doors open.
Inside, twelve senior board members were seated around a thirty-foot conference table. At the head of the table sat Victoria Montgomery, flanked by four high-powered attorneys. She was holding a pen, about to sign a document that would officially freeze my executive voting shares.
The room fell dead silent as we walked in.
Victoria’s pen stopped mid-air. Her eyes widened in absolute, horrifying shock as her gaze landed on the four small boys walking behind me.
It was one thing to hear about quadruplets in a rumor. It was an entirely different reality to see four living, breathing, identical copies of her deceased husband and son walking into her corporate stronghold.
"Julian..." Victoria gasped, her voice trembling slightly. "What is this circus?"
"This isn't a circus, Victoria," I said, my voice echoing off the glass walls. "This is the future of Montgomery Development."
I walked to the empty seat at the opposite end of the long table. I pulled out four chairs beside me, helping Julian, Leo, Oliver, and Arthur step up into them. The four boys sat in a row, their hands resting neatly on the polished wood table, four pairs of ice-blue eyes fixing directly on the woman at the head of the room.
Arthur reached his left hand behind his neck, brushing his dark hair back—a move matched instantly by Leo and Oliver.
Two board members gasped out loud. One elderly director, who had served beside my father for thirty years, pulled off his reading glasses, his mouth agape.
"My God..." the director whispered. "They're Richard’s spitting image."
"Board members," I spoke, resting my palms on the table. "Before you sign any petition put forward by Victoria Montgomery, I suggest you look at the documents my attorney, David Vance, has just delivered to the SEC and the Federal District Court."
David stepped forward, laying twelve thick red folders down in front of each board member.
"Those documents detail twelve million dollars of illegal dividend diversions from my offshore trust into Victoria’s personal accounts over the last twenty-four months," I stated coldly. "A federal investigation will open by five o'clock today. If you remain aligned with Victoria, every asset tied to this board will be frozen."
Victoria stood up, her face turning purple with rage. "This is a lie! He’s fabricating evidence to ruin this company!"
"The evidence is stamped by the Swiss Banking Conduct Authority, Victoria," David Vance interrupted smoothly.
The board members opened their folders. Within thirty seconds, hushed, panicked murmurs broke out around the table. The senior director looked up at Victoria, his face cold and unyielding.
"Victoria," the director said softly. "You need to step down as Chairwoman. Immediately."
"You can't do this to me!" Victoria shrieked, her regal composure completely shattering. "I built this empire! I protected this family!"
"You didn't protect this family," I said, standing tall, looking down the table at the woman who had stolen six years of my life. "You tried to destroy it. Security will escort you from the building. You have one hour to clear your personal effects from the corner office."
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Victoria looked around the room, searching for a single ally among the twelve board members. Every single one of them looked away, turning their eyes to the four small boys sitting quietly at the end of the table—the undisputed future of the Montgomery dynasty.
Victoria slumped into her chair, her face hollowed out, her empire destroyed not by corporate rivals, but by the truth she had tried to bury six years ago.
