Chapter 4 - THE MONEY TRAIL
“It's consulting revenue,” Selene said.
Nobody believed her.
Arthur Reed gave a humorless laugh.
“Three point eight million dollars?”
“We provided strategic services.”
Julian rounded on her.
“We?”
She folded her arms.
“My company.”
“You told me Hart Consulting was dormant.”
“It was. Then I restarted it.”
“With my company's money?”
“Our company's money.”
Julian's face twisted.
“Excuse me?”
Selene realized her mistake.
Too late.
The room had heard it.
Nina looked at Daniel.
“Pull the March payment.”
He tapped the tablet.
“Eight hundred seventy-five thousand dollars transferred from Vale Meridian's Singapore development subsidiary to Hart Consulting.”
“What was the invoice?” Arthur asked.
Daniel read.
“Regional market integration.”
Arthur looked at Selene.
“What does that mean?”
She said nothing.
“It means nothing,” he said.
My father stayed beside me.
He wasn't watching Julian anymore.
He was watching Selene.
That made me nervous.
Victor Marlowe had built his career by noticing the person everyone else underestimated.
And now he was studying her.
Julian grabbed Selene's wrist.
“You stole from me?”
She yanked free.
“Don't touch me.”
“You stole from my company.”
She laughed.
Suddenly, all the sweetness disappeared.
“Your company?”
“Yes, my company.”
“You couldn't keep that company alive without borrowing from every bank willing to answer your calls.”
Julian's face darkened.
“Shut up.”
“You think you're some genius?”
“Selene.”
“You inherited the first investors from your uncle, copied half your expansion strategy from Daniel Mercer, then spent ten years pretending you built Rome.”
Julian lunged.
Two security men blocked him.
Selene smiled, but her hands were shaking.
I stared at her.
This was not a mistress defending herself.
This was a partner whose deal was collapsing.
My father noticed my expression.
“What?”
I lowered my voice.
“She isn't afraid that Julian knows about the money.”
Victor studied her again.
“What is she afraid of?”
I thought about the last year.
Selene appearing at company galas.
Selene taking international trips.
Selene suddenly knowing which executives Julian planned to fire.
Selene pushing him to acquire Horizon Systems even after several directors warned against it.
Then I remembered something.
Three months ago, I had overheard Selene telling Julian, “Once the deal closes, nobody can touch us.”
I had assumed she meant their relationship.
Maybe she hadn't.
“Dad.”
“Yes?”
“Horizon.”
His eyes narrowed.
“What about it?”
“Check what they bought besides the company.”
Daniel heard me.
He started typing.
Julian shouted, “Don't listen to her!”
Which told me I was right.
Daniel's expression changed.
“Well.”
Victor looked over.
“What?”
“The acquisition included a dormant intellectual-property subsidiary.”
“And?”
Daniel's eyes lifted.
“Four patents were sold two weeks after closing.”
“To whom?” Nina asked.
He paused.
“Hart Global Ventures.”
Everyone turned toward Selene.
But she wasn't there.
The hallway door was swinging.
Julian stared.
“She ran.”
My father pulled out his phone.
“Lock the building.”
May you like
Then the penthouse lights went black.
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