“What acquisition?”
“Land outside Scottsdale. Twelve hundred acres. Luxury residential development.”
“How much?”
“Initial exposure, eighty-six million.”
Claire’s fingers went cold.
“And?”
“I rejected it.”
“Why?”
“Water rights were questionable. Debt structure was worse. The projected returns depended on zoning approvals nobody had secured.”
“And Halcyon Ridge?”
“The special-purpose company Grant created for the deal.”
Claire looked at the pages again.
“So why is it active?”
“That,” Everett said, “is the question I intend to ask my son.”
A knock came.
Nathan Cole entered.
He was sixty-one and thin enough to make his tuxedo look borrowed.
Everett handed him the papers.
Nathan read the first page.
Then the second.
By page four, his face changed too.
“Where did you get this?”
“Grant gave it to Claire.”
Nathan looked at her.
“You didn’t sign?”
“No.”
“Thank God.”
Claire felt a pressure behind her ribs.
“What would my signature have done?”
Nathan looked at Everett.
Everett nodded.
Nathan answered.
“It appears to authorize temporary release of trust restrictions.”
“For refinancing?”
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“I need to examine the full transaction.”
Claire’s voice stayed calm.
“But if I had signed?”
Nathan hesitated.
“Grant could have represented that the trust beneficiaries consented to using those shares as collateral.”
Claire stared at him.
“How much are the shares worth?”
“At today’s valuation?”
Nathan did the calculation mentally.
“Approximately forty-three million dollars.”
Silence.
Everett set down his glass.
Claire remembered Grant leaning close to her at the reception table.
Just sign it, Claire.
Stop making everything difficult.
Reese has already cleared it.
Dad knows.
Five minutes later, when she had quietly said she wanted Everett’s lawyer to review it first, Grant had followed her into the corridor.
And hit her.
Claire looked at Everett.
“You didn’t know.”
“No.”
“Grant lied.”
“Yes.”
The word landed heavily.
Nathan examined the signature block.
“This is worse.”
Everett turned.
“What?”
Nathan pointed.
“Look at the date.”
Claire leaned closer.
The agreement was dated two weeks earlier.
“That’s not tonight’s date.”
“No,” Nathan said.
“Why?”
Nathan flipped to another page.
“Because according to this document, Claire supposedly received independent legal advice on August fifth.”
“I didn’t.”
“And supposedly approved preliminary terms.”
“I didn’t.”
Nathan went still.
Everett’s voice dropped.
“Show me.”
Nathan pointed to an attachment.
There it was.
CLAIRE E. WHITMORE.
Typed beneath an electronic signature.
Claire stared at her own name.
“That isn’t my signature.”
Everett looked at her.
“You’re certain?”
Claire almost smiled.
“I sign my full middle name on legal documents.”
Nathan nodded slowly.
“Elizabeth.”
“This says E.”
A knock interrupted them again.
Marcus stepped inside.
His expression was different now.
More guarded.
“Mr. Whitmore.”
“Yes?”
“Grant is asking guests whether they’ve seen Claire.”
Everett checked his watch.
“He knows she’s with me?”
“I don’t believe so.”
“Keep it that way.”
Marcus hesitated.
“What?”
“Grant also asked one of my officers whether Mrs. Whitmore had consumed alcohol tonight.”
Claire’s eyebrows lifted.
She had not touched alcohol since discovering the pregnancy.
Everett’s eyes darkened.
“Why?”
“He said she seemed unstable.”
Nathan exhaled sharply.
Claire understood immediately.
Grant was building his version.
Pregnant.
Emotional.
Unstable.
Maybe drinking.
Maybe the aggressor.
Maybe she tripped.
Maybe he merely restrained her.
Maybe the camera angle was misleading.
A story did not need to be believable forever.
It only needed to survive until evidence disappeared.
Claire looked at Marcus.
“Who did he say it to?”
“Deputy Ames.”
“Did Ames document it?”
“He did after I instructed him.”
“Good.”
Everett stared at Claire.
“You’ve thought about this before.”
It wasn’t really a question.
Claire folded her hands.
“Grant has never hit me before.”
Everett waited.
Claire added, “But he has spent years teaching me what he does when consequences get close.”
The older man looked down.
Claire almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
Then Everett straightened.
“Marcus, lock the surveillance room.”
“Already done.”
“No Whitmore family access. Including me.”
Marcus nodded.
“Nathan, copy every page of this agreement.”
“Yes.”
“Claire goes to the hospital.”
Claire started to object.
Everett raised one hand.
“Not as my daughter-in-law.”
She stopped.
“As the mother of my granddaughter.”
Something in his voice nearly broke her composure.
Nearly.
Everett continued.
“And while you’re there, I will find out why my son tried to pledge forty-three million dollars in restricted shares through a company I ordered shut down.”
Claire studied him.
“Don’t confront him yet.”
Everett looked surprised.
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t know what we know.”
Nathan looked at Claire.
Everett did too.
Claire picked up the unsigned agreement.
“He thinks I refused because I’m stubborn.”
Everett’s mouth twitched despite himself.
Claire continued.
“He thinks you’re still in the ballroom.”
“Yes.”
“He thinks the only problem is the camera.”
“Yes.”
“Then let him keep thinking that.”
Nathan gave a slow nod.
Everett’s eyes sharpened.
“You want him to move.”
Popular Posts
→- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Recently Viewed
Stories you read recently will appear here.
