Alpha's Abandoned Daughter is the Secret Heiress novel Chapter 412

Chapter 412: Confronting Theodore

Chapter 412: Confronting Theodore

(Author’s POV)

Arthur’s face finally broke into something resembling relief.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at Yves with open admiration.

“That’s exactly the kind of thinking this company needs right now,” he said. “That kind of resolve.”

He turned to Director Bruno.

“What about you? Can you commit to this?”

+25 Points

Director Bruno was quiet for a moment. His brow was still creased, but something had shifted behind his

eyes.

He glanced at Yves again.

If Yves was willing to stake his reputation on this, then retreating now would make him look like a coward.

“If Yves is in,” he said slowly, “then I’m in. I’ve spent twenty years building my career. I’m not about to let anyone say I can’t hold my own against Director Liam.”

Arthur exhaled – long and slow, like a man who had been holding his breath for days.

“Good,” he said. “If *The Rising Storm* beats *Treatment Diary*, Bruno, you’ll be the top director in this industry. No one will be able to dispute it.”

Outside the door, Caleb stood very still.

A quiet, humorless smile crossed his face.

*These people.*

They were sitting in there, dividing up a future that didn’t belong to them yet. Talking about winning like the outcome was already decided.

He’d sat in rooms like that before.

He knew exactly how those conversations ended when Amelia was on the other side.

He raised his hand and knocked.

The door swung open.

Arthur’s expression curdled the moment he saw who it was.

“What do you want?” he said flatly.

< Chapter 412: Confronting Theodore

Caleb stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.

+25 Points

“I’m here to terminate my contract,” he said. “I have an overseas label ready to sign me. They’ve agreed to

cover the buyout ten million, paid in full.”

Arthur stared at him.

Then a cold, contemptuous smile spread across his face.

“A washed–up has–been,” he said. “And you’ve already found somewhere to land. Impressive.”

Caleb had spent the last hour swallowing things he wanted to say.

He was done.

“Gale Entertainment is going under anyway,” he said evenly. “It’s only a matter of time before my sister finishes what she started. You’re not in a better position than I am – you’re just further behind on figuring that out.”

Arthur’s expression went rigid.

“I could hold that contract,” he said, his voice dropping. “Keep you locked in here for as long as I want.”

“You could,” Caleb said. “And then you’d get nothing. No buyout. No royalties from my back catalog. No future album revenue.” He held Arthur’s gaze. “We can drag this out if you want. I have time.”

A beat of silence.

Yves, who had been watching from his chair with the relaxed interest of someone watching a mildly entertaining argument, spoke up.

“Arthur, why bother? Someone who can’t even stay loyal to the people who gave him a platform – that’s not someone you want in your building.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Let him go. He’s dead weight.”

Arthur’s jaw worked.

He looked at Caleb. Then at the number on the table.

Ten million was ten million. And Caleb wasn’t wrong about the royalties.

“Fine,” he said, the word coming out like something he was spitting out. “Get the paperwork done. I want you out of this building today.”

It took less than an hour to process.

Caleb signed where he was told to sign. He didn’t linger over it.

When it was done, he stood up and looked around the room one last time at Arthur, at Director Bruno, at Yves still lounging in his chair like he owned the place.

“Don’t overestimate yourselves,” he said. “Getting a head start doesn’t mean you win.”

<Chapter 412: Confronting Theodore

Director Bruno looked away.

Arthur said nothing.

Yves smiled that same smooth, unshakeable smile.

+25 Points

“I’ve been in this industry for over a decade,” he said. “I’ve never lost. My name alone draws more

audience than Wayne ever could.” He tilted his head slightly. “Whatever you think you know about your

sister, it doesn’t apply here.”

Caleb looked at him for a moment.

“Wait and see,” he said.

Then he turned and walked out.

The lobby was cool and quiet after the office. His footsteps echoed on the polished floor as he pushed

through the front doors and stepped out into the open air.

He stood there for a second.

He’d had that same certainty once. That unshakeable belief that talent and momentum were enough. That

he was too established, too visible, too far ahead to be caught.

Amelia had dismantled that belief piece by piece, without ever raising her voice.

Yves would learn the same lesson.

They all did, eventually.

Behind him, the office door had barely closed before Yves’s expression shifted.

The easy confidence was still there, but underneath it, something sharper moved.

He looked at Arthur.

“Don’t let him get in your head,” he said. “Caleb Stone is irrelevant. He made his choices.”

Arthur nodded, but his eyes were still tight.

“I know. I just need this project to-”

“Arthur.” Yves cut him off, calm and deliberate. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

Arthur looked at him.

Yves leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees.

“The company is in a difficult position right now. The public sentiment is bad. The lead actress change has already generated negative press. And I’m the one taking on the most exposure here – the most risk.” He paused. “That kind of risk deserves compensation.”

< Chapter 412 Confronting Theodore

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “What are you asking for?”

“Five percent of Gale Entertainment’s shares,” Yves said. “At the current market price.”

The room went very quiet.

Arthur stared at him.

+25 Points

The current market price meant rock bottom. After the Hugh scandal, after the stock collapse, five percent

was a fraction of what it would have been six months ago. But it was still five percent of the company.

“You’re asking me to sell you shares while the price is at its lowest,” Arthur said.

“I’m asking you to compensate me for staying when everyone else is running,” Yves replied. “If the show

succeeds – and it will – those shares will be worth ten times what they are today. You know that.”

Arthur was silent for a long moment.

He thought about the stock price. About the investors pulling back. About the board meetings that had

started to feel like interrogations.

He thought about what would happen if Yves walked out too.

“If the show wins,” Arthur said finally, his voice low and strained, “the shares are yours.”

Yves smiled.

“It’ll win,” he said simply.

Caleb’s rented apartment was on the fourth floor of a building that smelled faintly of damp carpet and other people’s cooking.

He pushed open the door and found Livia sitting on the sofa.

She wasn’t doing anything. No phone in her hand. No book. No television.

She was just sitting there, staring at the middle distance.

She used to wait for people to come home with a smile already on her face – the kind of smile that said *I saved you a seat, I kept your dinner warm, I’ve been thinking about you.*

That smile was gone.

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