Chapter 9 - Rebecca Runs)
Rebecca left the dining room before anyone could stop her.
Richard shouted her name.
She kept walking.
Madison ran into the corridor with her phone still recording.
Caroline followed.
By the time they reached the elevator, Rebecca was already inside.
“Rebecca!”
Richard charged from the dining room.
The elevator doors closed.
He struck them with his palm.
“Goddammit.”
Caroline turned to Sarah Colton.
“Did you freeze anything?”
Sarah remained professionally calm.
“I can’t discuss account actions with unauthorized parties.”
“I’m your creditor partner on the facility.”
“Not on Cardinal.”
Richard spun.
“What does Rebecca have to do with my loan?”
Caroline looked at him.
“Eleven point two million dollars.”
“What?”
“Hayes Development transferred over eleven million to Cardinal Municipal Partners.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Your signature appears on several approvals.”
Richard stared.
“I approve hundreds of vendor payments.”
“That isn’t an explanation.”
“Who owns Cardinal?”
Caroline watched his face closely.
“Aunt Rebecca.”
Richard actually stepped backward.
Diane whispered, “Richard.”
He ignored her.
“No.”
Caroline said nothing.
“She doesn’t own any consulting company.”
“She does.”
“You’re lying.”
Sarah interrupted.
“Mr. Hayes, we should move this discussion somewhere private.”
Richard laughed wildly and gestured around the private dining room.
“This is private.”
The relatives were no longer amused.
Some collected coats.
Others pretended not to listen while listening intensely.
Richard pointed toward them.
“Everyone out.”
Rebecca’s empty chair seemed louder than any argument.
Within minutes only Richard, Diane, Madison, Caroline, Reeves and the bank representatives remained.
Richard turned on Reeves.
“You approved Cardinal as a vendor?”
“I don’t review every vendor.”
“You’re general counsel.”
“I oversee legal matters.”
“Eleven million dollars is a legal matter.”
Caroline noticed Reeves becoming defensive.
Too defensive.
“Donald,” she said.
He looked at her.
“Who introduced Cardinal?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Try.”
Richard slammed a hand onto the table.
“Answer her.”
Reeves swallowed.
“Elaine may know.”
The name hit Caroline immediately.
“Elaine Porter?”
“Yes.”
Richard frowned.
“What about Elaine?”
Caroline looked at him.
“She’s trustee of South Crown Heritage Trust.”
Richard’s anger stopped.
He stared.
“No, she isn’t.”
“She is.”
“That trust is administered externally.”
“Public records say Elaine.”
Richard looked at Reeves.
“Donald?”
Reeves hesitated.
Richard’s expression became dangerous.
“Donald.”
“I was not involved in establishing that trust.”
“Who was?”
“I don’t know.”
Caroline saw it then.
Not one conspiracy.
Several layers.
Richard had been reckless.
Arrogant.
Possibly dishonest.
But people around him might have been exploiting the chaos.
Sarah Colton closed her portfolio.
“Mr. Hayes, the bank expects a complete response within forty-eight hours.”
“Forty-eight?”
“Yes.”
“You suspend advances and give me forty-eight hours?”
“That is correct.”
Richard looked at Caroline.
“You’re going to reverse your position.”
“No.”
“I’m your father.”
“You remembered that late.”
“If you enforce now, hundreds of people lose jobs.”
“If I don’t enforce protections now, somebody may move millions more.”
Richard stared.
“You think I stole it?”
“I think you allowed a system where nobody questioned you, and dishonest people discovered that arrogance makes excellent camouflage.”
The insult landed.
But Richard did not retaliate.
He looked exhausted.
“What do you want?”
It was the first sincere question he had asked her in years.
Caroline opened the folder again.
“The standstill agreement.”
Richard read the first page.
His eyes hardened.
“You want management oversight.”
“Temporary.”
“You want forensic accountants.”
“Yes.”
“You want access to my books.”
“Yes.”
“You want me to disclose every related-party transaction for five years.”
“Yes.”
“And you want me to step back from unilateral control.”
“Yes.”
Richard laughed bitterly.
“You do want my company.”
“No.”
“Bullshit.”
“I don’t want anything you built if owning it means becoming you.”
Diane flinched.
Richard stared at Caroline.
Then Madison’s phone rang.
She answered.
“Hello?”
Her expression changed.
“Who is this?”
Caroline looked at her.
Madison turned on speaker.
A man’s voice said, “Tell Caroline to stop following the Cardinal transfers.”
Everyone froze.
Caroline stepped closer.
“Who is this?”
The man continued.
“The money is already gone.”
“Where?”
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
“What’s the right one?”
“Ask what Westbridge was purchased to hide.”
The call ended.
Nobody spoke.
Richard looked at Caroline.
“What the hell was that?”
Caroline stared at the phone.
May you like
She had no answer.
But for the first time, six point four million dollars seemed like the smallest number in the room.
