The second attachment loaded slowly on Marcus’s phone while Derek stood three feet away, staring as if he could force the screen to go dark.
Lauren remained between the brothers.
Her shoulders were squared, but Marcus noticed her hands trembling at her sides.
Helen Ward, the managing partner of Derek’s law firm, was still on speaker.
“Marcus,” she said, “please do not forward or alter either document.
Our general counsel has joined the call.
We need a direct answer.
Did you authorize Derek Cole to represent DataVault Solutions in discussions with this firm?”
“No.”
“Did you sign the attached client authorization?”
“No.”
“Did you give Derek the internal contract number listed on page two?”
Marcus enlarged the document.
The number belonged to Project Keystone, DataVault’s confidential expansion into the Pennsylvania hospital network.
Only Marcus, his business partner Tony, and their chief financial officer had access to it.
“I did not,” he said.
Derek stepped closer.
“This is ridiculous.
Marcus mentioned the expansion months ago.
He’s acting confused because he’s angry about dinner.”
Marcus looked at him.
“You didn’t know what my company did until Sarah explained it at the restaurant.”
Derek’s mouth opened, but no answer came.
Helen spoke before he could recover.
“Derek, you are instructed not to contact any employee of DataVault Solutions until our review is complete.
Leave the coffee shop now.”
“Helen, listen to me—”
“Now.”
The word cracked through the speaker.
For a moment, Derek’s expression became the same one their father wore whenever Marcus refused to bend: disbelief first, then rage at the discovery that authority had limits.
He pointed at Lauren.
“You have no idea what you’ve done.”
“I know exactly what I’ve done,” she said.
Derek turned to Marcus.
“Dad was right about you.
You destroy everything because you can’t stand that I’m better than you.”
Marcus expected the words to hurt.
They had hurt in different forms for most of his life.
Instead, he looked at the copied signature on his phone and felt something settle inside him.
“You forged my name to win a promotion,” he said.
“This has nothing to do with who is better.”
Derek left without another word, shoving the glass door hard enough to rattle it in its frame.
Helen asked Marcus to remain available.
DataVault’s own attorney would need to contact the firm, and her general counsel would preserve the documents and begin an internal investigation.
She apologized twice, though none of this was her fault.
After the call ended, Marcus opened the second attachment.
It was a business-development memorandum written by Derek.
Most of it was polished corporate language about healthcare technology, regulatory compliance, and the legal needs of a growing software company.
The final section was personal.
Derek described Marcus as a younger brother who had always relied on him for guidance.
He claimed their father had encouraged Marcus to retain Derek’s firm and that a family celebration had been scheduled to formalize the relationship.
Then Marcus saw the sentence Lauren had warned him about.
The internal Project Keystone number, Derek wrote, had been provided by a trusted executive at DataVault who supported the engagement but preferred not to be named until the agreement was signed.
Marcus stared at the page.
Lauren sat down slowly.
“There’s more.”
“Who gave him the number?”
“I
