Chapter 3 - THE HIDDEN OWNER
Arthur Reed stepped out of the elevator.
Behind him came two board members, Julian's general counsel, and a woman I recognized from business television.
Nina Cho.
Founder of Northstar Holdings.
Northstar owned 18 percent of Vale Meridian.
At least publicly.
Julian stared at her.
“Nina?”
She didn't look at him.
She looked at me.
Then at the blood on the carpet.
Her mouth tightened.
“Jesus.”
Julian moved toward her.
“Tell them this is insane.”
Nina finally met his eyes.
“What exactly am I supposed to tell them?”
“That Victor is abusing his leverage.”
Victor answered.
“I exercised rights written into contracts your lawyers negotiated.”
Julian pointed at me.
“Because of a domestic argument?”
My father moved so quickly I barely saw it.
He stopped inches from Julian.
“You are alive right now because my daughter is watching.”
The room went dead quiet.
Julian swallowed.
Victor stepped back.
“Don't confuse restraint with weakness.”
Arthur Reed cleared his throat.
“Julian, we need to discuss control.”
“I am the founder.”
“You're the CEO.”
“I own the largest voting block.”
Nina shook her head.
“No. Vale Family Partners does.”
Julian frowned.
“That's my holding company.”
“Not anymore.”
He stared at her.
Then at his general counsel.
“What is she talking about?”
The lawyer looked miserable.
“Six months ago, Vale Family Partners pledged a portion of its holdings as collateral for the Horizon acquisition.”
“I know that.”
“The lender assigned the debt.”
“To who?”
Nobody spoke.
Then my father said, “Me.”
Julian looked at him.
“You?”
“Marlowe Strategic Credit acquired the position thirty-seven days ago.”
Julian's mouth opened.
I remembered thirty-seven days ago.
Julian had come home celebrating.
He'd poured a twenty-thousand-dollar bottle of wine and said he had finally refinanced the worst debt in his company.
He had kissed me that night.
Not because he loved me.
Because he was happy.
And somewhere across the country, my father had been signing the paper that could end him.
Julian's eyes snapped toward me.
“You knew?”
“No.”
That answer was true.
My father had hidden even more from me than I'd hidden from Julian.
Victor looked at me.
“You asked me not to interfere.”
“I did.”
“I kept that promise.”
Then his eyes returned to Julian.
“Until tonight.”
Selene took a step toward the hallway.
Arthur noticed.
“Ms. Hart, please stay.”
She stopped.
“Why?”
Nina lifted her phone.
“Because corporate security found something while preparing the emergency review.”
Selene's confidence flickered.
“What?”
Nina walked over and held out the screen.
There were transfer records.
Millions of dollars.
Vale Meridian funds.
Moving into companies I had never heard of.
One name appeared repeatedly.
HART CONSULTING GROUP.
I looked at Selene.
Her face was white.
Julian turned toward her slowly.
“What the hell is that?”
She said nothing.
“Selene.”
Nothing.
His voice rose.
“WHAT IS THAT?”
She backed away.
And suddenly, the mistress who had spent the evening smiling while I bled looked far more terrified than my husband.
That was when I realized something.
My father hadn't simply found a way to remove Julian.
He had found a crime.
May you like
And Selene already knew exactly what it was.
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