Chapter 8 - BURN THE COMPANY
Marcus walked past Nathan as if he had already won.
Nathan watched him leave.
Then he turned to Richard.
“How can he seal a DNA test?”
“He can’t.”
“He just did.”
“The court can.”
“So Marcus owns the court?”
Richard didn’t answer.
Nathan understood.
That afternoon, Cole Industries stock dropped nine percent.
By evening, anonymous sources told reporters Nathan had suffered a mental breakdown.
The board scheduled an emergency vote to remove him as CEO.
Grace watched the news from Nathan’s living room.
“You’re losing your company because of us.”
Nathan shut off the television.
“No.”
“They’re doing this because you chose Lily.”
“They’re doing this because they’re terrified of Lily.”
Grace stared at him.
“There’s a difference.”
Nathan walked to the fireplace.
“My father spent his whole life telling me the company was everything.”
He looked around the mansion.
“The name.”
“The money.”
“The reputation.”
Grace said nothing.
Nathan turned.
“He was wrong.”
Richard arrived carrying the flash drive from Charles’s safe.
“It’s encrypted.”
Nathan frowned.
“Can we open it?”
“I know someone.”
Two hours later, a cybersecurity specialist cracked the first folder.
Hundreds of files appeared.
Audio recordings.
Contracts.
Bank transfers.
Private emails.
One recording was dated six weeks before Charles died.
Nathan pressed play.
His father’s voice filled the room.
“If anything happens to me, Marcus Vale is responsible for the trust manipulation.”
Grace covered her mouth.
Charles continued.
“Helena Ashford began the arrangement, but Marcus turned it into something else.”
Nathan stared at the screen.
“He has been moving company money through shell corporations for years.”
Richard whispered, “Jesus.”
Another file showed more than eighty million dollars missing.
Marcus hadn’t protected the Cole empire.
He had been stealing from it.
Lily’s trust amendment threatened everything.
Once Lily was recognized, an independent audit would automatically trigger.
Marcus needed her discredited before that happened.
Nathan leaned back.
“We have him.”
Richard shook his head.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“These are copies.”
“So?”
“We need original server records.”
Nathan frowned.
“Where?”
Richard hesitated.
“Cole Industries headquarters.”
The building was now controlled by Marcus’s security team.
Nathan stood.
“I’m still CEO until tomorrow’s vote.”
Richard understood.
“You want to walk in.”
Nathan smiled.
“No.”
“I want to hold a board meeting.”
Grace stared at him.
“What are you planning?”
Nathan looked at the files.
“I’m going to make Marcus think I’m surrendering.”
The next morning, Nathan entered the boardroom.
Marcus sat at the head of the table.
Victoria and Helena were present.
Nathan placed a signed document in front of them.
Marcus glanced down.
Resignation.
He smiled.
“Wise decision.”
Nathan looked at him.
“I’ll step down.”
Grace, watching through a hidden live stream, whispered, “What are you doing?”
Marcus reached for the resignation.
Nathan held it down.
“One condition.”
Marcus frowned.
Nathan smiled.
“Open the company servers for an independent transition audit.”
Marcus’s face changed.
Only slightly.
May you like
But Nathan saw it.
And suddenly everyone in the room knew Marcus Vale had something to hide.
