Chapter 2
"Do you know what time it is?" I said.
Adrian glanced at his watch. "Eleven thirty-two."
Twenty-eight minutes. Twenty-eight minutes until the file released. The file that would burn Celeste to the ground.
"I need a phone. A computer. Anything. I have to—"
"Cancel the dead man's switch?" Adrian said calmly.
I stared at him. "How do you—"
"Emma, I've been investigating Halden Group for six months. I know about the fraud. I know about your stepmother's brother. I know about the eighteen percent your father left you. And I know—because my forensic team found the timestamps—that you've been copying files. I didn't know about the scheduled release, but it was a logical conclusion."
I blinked. This man knew everything. And he'd bought the debt. Which meant he controlled Halden Group's future.
"Why are you helping me?" I said.
"I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself. Celeste Halden is a criminal. Victor Shaw is a predator. I bought the debt because I want the company—your father's company—to survive. But I can't restructure it with fraud hidden in the books. I need the truth. And you have it."
He handed me a phone. "Call it off. Or don't. But if that file releases at midnight, we lose the element of surprise. Celeste will run. The money will vanish. We need her to think she's still in control."
I looked at the phone. Eleven forty.
He was right. If the file released now, Celeste would panic. She'd destroy evidence. She'd run. The money—my father's money—would disappear into offshore accounts forever.
I dialed the number. Entered the code. Canceled the release.
"Done," I said.
Adrian nodded. The car turned into an underground garage. We got out. An elevator took us up to a penthouse office. Floor-to-ceiling windows. A view of the city.
He handed me a towel. A first-aid kit. A robe.
"Clean yourself up," he said. "Then we talk. We have a lot to plan. And Celeste will be looking for you."
I cleaned the cuts. Bandaged my hand. Put on the robe—soft, expensive, smelling like cedar.
When I came out, Adrian was at a desk, studying files. He looked up.
"Tell me everything," he said.
So I did. The six weeks of investigation. The shell companies. Celeste's brother, Roland. The altered invoices. The backdated board records. The eighteen percent. The dinner. Victor. The locked doors. The window.
When I finished, he was quiet for a long moment.
"Eighteen percent," he said. "Plus my debt. We control the company. Celeste has thirty-two percent. The rest is scattered among board members and investors. If we can get three more board members on our side, we vote her out."
"Victor Shaw?"
"Victor is finished. He's got a record. SEC investigations. Women who've been paid to stay quiet. I have files on him too. He won't be a problem for long."
I looked at this man. Dark hair. Sharp eyes. A scar on his jaw. He was thirty-five, maybe. Rich. Powerful. And he was offering me exactly what I'd wanted since my father died.
A chance to take back what was mine.
"What do you need from me?" I said.
"Your evidence. Your shares. Your testimony. And your courage. Because this is going to get ugly. Celeste will fight. She'll lie. She'll try to destroy you. Are you ready?"
I thought about the dinner. Victor's hand on my wrist. The locked doors. The broken glass. The rain.
May you like
"I've been ready since the day my father died," I said.
Adrian smiled. "Good. Then let's take back your company."
