Chapter 4 - The Man I Trusted
Grant Ellis answered my call on the first ring.
"I was wondering how long it would take."
That was not the response of an innocent man.
"Did you send Julian my financing schedule?"
"Yes."
My chest went tight.
"Why?"
"Because Camilla asked me to."
I nearly threw the phone.
"You have ten seconds before I terminate you."
"Then use nine of them to check the recording I just sent Ethan."
I stopped.
Ethan's phone buzzed.
Grant continued.
"She contacted me three weeks ago. She said she had information that could destroy the acquisition. She wanted the final financing schedule and the names of the limited partners."
"And you gave it to her?"
"A fake one."
I looked at Ethan.
He opened the file Grant had sent.
Audio filled the kitchen.
Camilla's voice.
"I don't care what Nora paid for Aurelia. I care whether the financing makes her vulnerable at home."
Grant answered.
"What does that mean?"
"Julian files first. We freeze her voting rights. Malcolm delays the control transfer. Market panic does the rest."
My pulse accelerated.
Grant's voice on the recording stayed casual.
"And what do I get?"
Camilla laughed.
"A seat when Northstar breaks apart."
The recording ended.
Grant came back on the call.
"I gave her a schedule with a traceable watermark and one invented lender. She forwarded it within twelve minutes."
"To Julian?"
"To his attorney."
Ethan looked at me.
That meant Richard Bell had filed a court exhibit he could not explain without exposing the leak.
My anger shifted.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Grant sighed.
"Because you would have confronted her at the gala."
"I did anyway."
"About the earrings, not the leak."
He had a point.
I hated that.
"You still accessed a restricted file under your own credentials."
"Yes."
"You still created legal risk."
"Yes."
"You still should have told me."
"Absolutely."
I closed my eyes.
"I am furious with you."
"Get in line."
That was Grant.
Infuriatingly calm even while confessing to something that would get most executives fired before lunch.
"Come to Austin," I said. "Bring everything."
"Already boarding."
He hung up.
Julian looked at me.
"So your loyal friend set me up."
"No. Camilla set you up. Grant documented it."
His face hardened.
"You're enjoying this."
I stared at him.
"Do I look like I'm enjoying discovering your girlfriend used my identity, your lawyer filed stolen documents, and my COO ran a private sting operation without approval?"
He looked away.
Ethan reopened the Meridian file.
"There is something Grant said on the recording that matters."
"What?"
"Camilla said, 'When Northstar breaks apart.' Not if."
Priya nodded.
"That suggests a second plan."
My phone rang.
Malcolm.
I answered.
"We have another issue," he said.
"I'm developing a strong dislike of that sentence."
"You need to come to Aurelia."
"Why?"
"Someone accessed the internal press system and scheduled a release for 6:00 p.m."
"What release?"
He hesitated.
"An announcement that Northstar's financing has collapsed and your acquisition may be rescinded."
I looked at the time.
5:41.
"Cancel it."
"We did."
"Then what is the problem?"
"The release includes a document we have never seen before."
"What document?"
Malcolm's voice dropped.
"A personal guarantee signed by you for a Meridian loan."
I did not breathe.
He continued.
May you like
"Nora, according to this document, if Meridian defaults, Northstar owes eighteen million dollars."
