Chapter 9 - THE MAN BEHIND THE ACQUISITION
Nathan stared at Graham.
“Robert Sterling?”
His uncle nodded weakly.
“That makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.”
Graham tried to stand.
Nathan pushed him back into the chair.
“You need a doctor.”
“I need you to listen.”
Nathan glanced toward the hallway.
Marcus was hearing everything through the microphone.
“Start talking.”
Graham wiped blood from his eyebrow.
“Five years ago, Sterling Industries began collapsing.”
Nathan frowned.
“Their financial statements are strong.”
“Because Robert manufactured them.”
Nathan went still.
Graham continued.
“He hid debt through private entities. Meridian was one of them.”
“You own Meridian.”
“I control the trust.”
“So you were working together.”
“Yes.”
Nathan’s disgust showed.
Graham laughed bitterly.
“Don’t look so shocked.”
“You tried to steal hundreds of millions.”
“I was trying to cover losses.”
“With Northstar assets.”
“Yes.”
Nathan stepped away.
“You deserve prison.”
“Probably.”
The honesty surprised him.
“Then why help me now?”
“Because Robert stopped covering losses.”
Graham looked at him.
“He started covering people.”
Nathan’s face hardened.
“Rachel.”
“Yes.”
“What happened to her?”
Graham looked down.
“I had her watched.”
“You admitted that.”
“I wanted the box.”
“Why?”
“The trust documents.”
“No.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“You could access trust documents yourself.”
Graham looked at him.
Nathan understood.
“There was something else in the box.”
Graham nodded.
“What?”
“Evidence against Robert.”
Nathan’s pulse increased.
“What evidence?”
“Rachel worked at Westbridge Academy before becoming a librarian.”
Nathan waited.
“Robert Sterling’s daughter attended Westbridge.”
Nathan frowned.
“So?”
“Rachel discovered donations Sterling made through shell charities.”
Nathan stared.
“Money laundering?”
“Fraud. Bribery. Hidden debt. Take your pick.”
“How did Rachel get involved?”
“She found financial correspondence misfiled inside a donation archive. She recognized Meridian.”
Nathan slowly understood.
“Because you visited her.”
“Yes.”
“She connected your company to Sterling.”
“Yes.”
“And contacted Samuel.”
Graham nodded.
“Rachel realized the same man who had helped erase Emma from your life was tied to a massive corporate fraud.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened.
“She threatened to expose you.”
“She threatened to expose all of us.”
“And six days after she contacted Lauren, she died.”
Graham looked away.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
Nathan slammed his hand onto the desk.
“What happened?”
Graham flinched.
“Robert sent someone to speak with her.”
“Who?”
“Celeste Ward.”
Nathan froze.
The woman who took Sophie.
“Rachel collapsed the following afternoon.”
“You expect me to believe that’s coincidence?”
“No.”
Nathan’s voice lowered.
“Did you know?”
“Not until afterward.”
“You covered it up.”
“I stayed quiet.”
“Same thing.”
“Yes.”
Nathan stared at the man who had helped destroy his family.
“Why did you come after Emma?”
“I didn’t.”
“The surveillance.”
“Yes.”
“The SUV.”
“No.”
“The fake orderly?”
“No.”
“Sophie?”
“No.”
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“You expect me to believe Robert Sterling is independently targeting my daughter to protect your scheme?”
Graham nodded.
“Once Rachel died, he knew Emma had the box.”
“How?”
“Celeste searched Rachel’s apartment.”
“Didn’t find it.”
“No.”
“Then Emma started moving toward me.”
Graham’s face tightened.
“Robert panicked.”
Nathan remembered the board meeting.
Robert Sterling angrily insisting the acquisition continue.
An eight-billion-dollar deal does not stop because of personal inconvenience.
Nathan felt sick.
“What does he need from the acquisition?”
“Cash.”
“How much?”
“Northstar would pay two point four billion at closing.”
Nathan understood.
“If Sterling collapses before closing…”
“Robert loses everything.”
“Possibly goes to prison.”
“Yes.”
“And Emma could expose Meridian before the deal completes.”
“Yes.”
Nathan stared at Graham.
“You built the gun.”
Graham met his eyes.
“And Robert pulled the trigger.”
The front window shattered.
Nathan reacted before understanding.
Graham shouted.
A heavy object struck the bookshelf behind them.
Not a bullet.
A brick.
Wrapped around it was a piece of paper.
Nathan approached carefully.
Marcus’s voice sounded through his earpiece.
“Do not touch it. Police are entering.”
Nathan read the visible words.
MIDNIGHT WAS A BAD IDEA.
Graham went pale.
“He knows you’re here.”
Police arrived seconds later.
Nathan turned.
“Where would Robert go?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
Graham shook his head.
“He has houses everywhere.”
“Where would he keep records?”
“No idea.”
Nathan stared at him.
Then something clicked.
“The Sterling vote.”
Graham frowned.
“What?”
“Robert didn’t just want the acquisition.”
Nathan walked toward the desk.
“He wanted it immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Why tomorrow? Why this week?”
Graham’s face changed.
“The credit facility.”
Nathan stared.
“What facility?”
“Sterling has a major debt payment due Monday.”
“How much?”
“Nearly six hundred million.”
Nathan’s expression hardened.
“So he has three days.”
“If the acquisition doesn’t close, he defaults.”
Nathan called Lauren.
She answered immediately.
“Where are Emma and Sophie?”
“With Monica and four security officers.”
“Good. Lock the floor.”
“Already done.”
“Pull every document on Sterling’s short-term debt.”
“Nathan—”
“Robert Sterling is behind the attacks.”
Silence.
Then Lauren’s voice changed.
“What do you need?”
“Everything.”
By dawn, the case had transformed.
Federal financial investigators were contacted through Northstar’s legal team.
Chicago police were coordinating the hit-and-run, hospital intruder, and kidnapping investigations.
Graham agreed to provide documents in exchange for consideration by prosecutors.
Nathan offered him nothing.
“You testify or don’t.”
Graham stared at him.
“You would let me go to prison?”
Nathan’s expression didn’t change.
“You helped steal my daughter’s childhood.”
Graham looked away.
“Yes.”
“Then don’t ask me for mercy before you’ve told the truth.”
At 7:20 a.m., Nathan returned to the hospital.
Emma was awake.
Sophie slept beside her.
Nathan sat.
“You found who did it?”
“We found part of it.”
“Your uncle?”
“He helped create the situation.”
“But?”
“Robert Sterling appears to be behind the recent attacks.”
Emma frowned.
“The man whose company you were buying?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds like a terrible business decision.”
Nathan laughed despite himself.
“Very.”
He told her enough to understand without overwhelming her.
When he finished, Emma stared at the blanket.
“Mom died because she found something.”
Nathan swallowed.
“We don’t know that for certain.”
“But you think it.”
“Yes.”
Emma began crying.
Quietly.
Nathan moved closer.
“She was trying to protect me again.”
“Yes.”
“She always did that.”
Nathan reached for her hand.
“She protected me too.”
Emma looked at him.
“How?”
“She kept the truth alive long enough for me to find you.”
Emma’s lips trembled.
Nathan added, “I’m sorry she had to do it alone.”
Emma leaned against him.
This time it was intentional.
Nathan wrapped an arm around her.
They sat like that for a long time.
At 9:03, Lauren called.
“We found Robert.”
Nathan straightened.
“Where?”
“He checked into Northstar headquarters.”
Nathan frowned.
“What?”
“He arrived fifteen minutes ago with three Sterling executives and two attorneys.”
Nathan looked at Emma.
“Why?”
Lauren’s voice was tense.
“He says the acquisition agreement gives Sterling the right to demand an emergency closing vote.”
Nathan almost smiled.
“He walked into my building.”
“Yes.”
“Perfect.”
“Nathan, there’s more.”
“What?”
“He’s telling directors you fabricated Emma’s paternity to manipulate the family trust and block the deal.”
Nathan’s smile disappeared.
“He’s attacking her publicly?”
“Yes.”
Nathan stood.
Emma looked up.
“What happened?”
Nathan buttoned his jacket.
“A man who should have stayed quiet made a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
Nathan looked at his daughter.
“He brought you into a boardroom fight.”
Emma wiped her eyes.
“And?”
May you like
Nathan’s expression became colder than anything she had seen before.
“And that’s one place I know exactly how to win.”
