Chapter 37 - the brother who made a bargain
Security footage confirmed that Elias had met Gideon four times during the previous month.
Nora remembered Elias offering money for half of Northstar. The offer had not been a desperate attempt to reclaim his inheritance.
It had been part of a bargain.
Grace traced the overseas accounts Elias claimed to control. The funds originated from Meridian Renewal Partners.
Gideon had financed him.
Elias admitted the arrangement when Nora confronted him.
“I agreed to give Gideon voting access for one year,” he said. “In return, he would restore my identity and clear the charges prepared against me.”
“You were going to give him the company.”
“I was going to take what I was owed.”
“With the man who forced you into hiding?”
“He understands power.”
“He understands your anger.”
Elias stepped closer.
“You had children, a career and a place in the family. I had hotel rooms and false passports.”
“I did not know you were alive.”
“You stopped looking.”
“After three years, investigators told me there was nothing left to find.”
“You believed them because grief was inconvenient.”
The accusation hurt because part of Nora had asked herself the same question for years.
But pain did not transform a lie into truth.
“I held a funeral without a body because Malcolm showed me fabricated evidence,” she said. “You knew I had been deceived, yet you punished me for believing it.”
Elias turned away.
Gideon’s agreement required him to deliver the original Northstar ledger and Maya’s pendant before the final board vote.
“You will not receive either,” Nora said.
“Then Gideon will expose the Katherine documents and claim our mother stole the patents.”
“We have the complete agreement.”
Elias looked surprised.
“You found the second page.”
“You should have remembered that I read contracts before reacting to photographs.”
For the first time, her brother appeared uncertain.
Before leaving, he offered one warning.
“Gideon has Celeste.”
Nora did not respond until Elias reached the door.
“Celeste staged her disappearance.”
“At first,” he said. “Then she stopped answering.”
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Minutes later, Grace’s phone received a live location from Celeste’s device.
It was moving toward the Vale Meridian headquarters.
