Chapter 5 - THE COMPANY WAS ALREADY BLEEDING

Richard sat down slowly.

“What did you say?”

Rachel looked almost relieved now.

Like the secret was too large to carry anymore.

“You heard me.”

Whitmore Home Supply had been founded by Richard’s father in 1968.

It survived recessions, two warehouse fires, big-box competitors, and a pandemic.

At its peak, it employed nearly eight hundred people.

Richard’s identity wasn’t connected to the company.

The company was his identity.

He stared at his daughter.

“You think Whitmore is failing?”

“I know it is.”

Nathan shook his head.

“Our cash flow is stable.”

“On paper.”

She laughed.

“You’re looking at reports Marcus helped build.”

Nathan stopped.

Richard’s eyes moved toward him.

“What does that mean?”

Rachel pulled out a chair and sat.

Her confidence was returning.

That frightened me more than her panic had.

“Three major supplier contracts are about to be terminated.”

Nathan frowned.

“Which ones?”

“Barlow. Eastern Meridian. Halston.”

Daniel leaned forward.

“That’s forty percent of our imported inventory.”

“Forty-three.”

“How do you know?”

Rachel smiled.

“Because Marcus negotiated their replacement agreements.”

“With who?”

She didn’t answer.

Richard slammed his fist onto the table.

“With who?”

“Sterling Build Group.”

Nathan whispered, “Our largest competitor.”

Richard’s face lost its color.

Daniel stared at his sister.

“You gave our supplier contracts to Sterling?”

“No. They made better offers.”

“You told them what our offers were.”

Rachel shrugged.

“Business is business.”

“No,” I said. “That’s corporate espionage.”

Her smile disappeared.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I had found emails.

Not everything.

But enough.

Marcus had forwarded confidential bids.

Supplier cost data.

Customer lists.

Delivery schedules.

Sterling used the information to undercut Whitmore contracts.

And every time Whitmore lost business, Rachel’s warehouse operations became more profitable.

Grant sank into his chair.

“You planned for the company to fail.”

Rachel snapped toward him.

“I planned to survive.”

“By destroying your father?”

Richard barely seemed to hear them.

He was reading the files again.

Evelyn placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Richard?”

He pulled away.

Not cruelly.

He simply looked like a man who no longer knew what was real.

Then Nathan’s phone rang.

He answered.

His expression shifted.

“What?”

We all watched him.

“When?”

He stood.

“Send it to me.”

He hung up.

Richard looked at him.

“What happened?”

Nathan swallowed.

“Someone initiated a transfer from one of our operating accounts approximately twenty minutes ago.”

My stomach dropped.

“How much?” Daniel asked.

“Two-point-eight million dollars.”

Rachel went perfectly still.

Richard stared at her.

“You did this?”

“No.”

“Who did?”

Rachel didn’t answer.

Nathan checked the destination.

Then whispered:

“ML Strategic Holdings.”

Marcus.

Daniel grabbed his coat.

“Call the bank.”

“I am.”

Richard stood too.

“Call the police.”

Rachel finally looked scared again.

“You can’t.”

Everyone turned toward her.

Richard narrowed his eyes.

“Why not?”

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Her answer came quietly.

“Because if Marcus gets arrested, he’ll tell them what you did.”