Chapter 5 - The Man in the Boardroom
The Person My Grandfather Warned Me About
At 5:57 a.m., the Falcon Ridge boardroom was already full.
Nine directors.
Two legal advisers.
The CFO.
The chairman.
And me.
I walked in carrying the USB drive.
Every conversation stopped.
Chairman Victor Lang stood.
“Morgan.”
“Victor.”
“Thank you for coming.”
I sat.
He slid a folder across the table.
“Sterling Heights.”
I opened it.
The acquisition had changed.
One section had been amended overnight.
My signature was still there.
But below it was another authorization.
Richard Hayes.
My father.
I looked up.
“I never approved this.”
Victor frowned.
“The amendment was submitted through executive channels.”
“Whose?”
“Your account.”
My stomach tightened.
Someone had used my credentials.
I looked at the IT director.
“Show me the access logs.”
He hesitated.
Victor said, “Now.”
The logs appeared.
3:17 a.m.
My credentials accessed the system.
From an internal terminal.
Not my office.
The boardroom went quiet.
The terminal belonged to one person.
Victor Lang.
I looked at him.
He leaned back.
“You've made a serious accusation.”
“I haven't accused you.”
I pointed to the screen.
“The system did.”
His face remained calm.
Then he smiled.
“You're becoming very difficult.”
“Good.”
Victor folded his hands.
“Do you know what Sterling Heights contains?”
“Yes.”
“Do you?”
I looked at him.
“Underground transit rights.”
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
Enough.
He knew.
Victor stood.
“That's classified.”
“Not anymore.”
I placed my laptop on the table.
Then played my grandfather's video.
The room watched in silence.
When Victor's name was mentioned, every head turned.
Victor didn't move.
After the video ended, he said quietly:
“Your grandfather was paranoid.”
“No.”
“He was dying.”
“He wasn't.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“You should be careful.”
“I am.”
“Your father will not survive this.”
I smiled.
“That sounds like a confession.”
His face hardened.
Then the doors opened.
My father walked in.
My mother was behind him.
Claire too.
And Tyler.
All four of them.
Victor looked at them.
My mother started crying.
“Morgan.”
“Don't.”
She stopped.
My father stepped forward.
“You don't understand.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Morgan, come home.”
“I am home.”
“This is family business.”
“No.”
I pointed toward the contracts.
“This is corporate fraud.”
Tyler moved toward the table.
I looked at him.
“Stay where you are.”
He stopped.
My father slammed his palm on the table.
“You have no idea what you've done.”
I looked at him.
“I just acquired half a billion dollars of property.”
He laughed.
“You didn't acquire anything.”
My smile vanished.
“What?”
He looked at Victor.
Victor nodded.
My father turned toward me.
“Sterling Heights isn't an acquisition.”
He slid another folder toward me.
“It is collateral.”
I opened it.
The properties had been pledged against a chain of debts.
If the underlying financing failed, ownership would revert.
To whom?
I reached the final page.
Hayes Legacy Holdings.
My name.
My father's face softened.
“You were always the key.”
I looked at him.
“What key?”
“The trust.”
Victor stepped closer.
“Your grandfather built a structure that could control enormous portions of the city's real estate market.”
“And?”
“And only you can activate it.”
My blood ran cold.
“What does activate mean?”
Victor smiled.
“Control.”
He placed a pen in front of me.
“Sign.”
I looked at the document.
“What is this?”
“Transfer authority.”
“To whom?”
He said:
“Your father.”
I laughed.
“No.”
My father whispered:
“You don't understand what happens if you refuse.”
I looked at him.
“Try me.”
His expression changed.
Then Claire spoke.
“Morgan.”
I turned.
She was crying.
“He has my child.”
I froze.
“What?”
Claire covered her mouth.
Tyler closed his eyes.
My mother whispered:
“Your nephew.”
My pulse pounded.
“What do you mean?”
Claire looked at me.
“Tyler took him.”
The room went silent.
“He said he would hurt him if I didn't help.”
Tyler's head snapped toward her.
“Claire!”
She flinched.
I stood.
“Where is my nephew?”
No one answered.
Then Victor's phone rang.
He answered.
His face went pale.
He looked at me.
“We have a problem.”
“What?”
“The child is gone.”
My mother started crying.
I looked at Tyler.
His face had drained of color.
“Where is he?”
Tyler whispered:
“I don't know.”
Then the boardroom door opened.
A security officer rushed in.
“Ms. Hayes?”
“Yes?”
“We found a vehicle in the underground garage.”
“What vehicle?”
“A black SUV.”
“And?”
The officer swallowed.
“There was a child inside.”
Claire screamed.
But the officer wasn't finished.
“There was also a note.”
He handed it to me.
I opened it.
YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.
May you like
Underneath was one final sentence.
YOUR NEPHEW KNOWS WHERE THE MONEY IS.
