Chapter 5 - NATHAN'S LAST BARGAIN
Nathan believed information could still save him.
That was how he had survived every previous scandal.
He always kept one secret greater than the secret anyone else possessed.
This time, I refused to play by his rules.
“There will be no deal.”
He smiled.
“You don’t know where my father is.”
“I don’t need to.”
“You will.”
I stepped closer.
“Then the police can ask you.”
Nathan looked at Detective Cole.
“This is a corporate dispute.”
Cole answered calmly.
“Not anymore.”
Nathan’s smile faded.
She placed several documents on the desk.
“We have evidence of forged authorizations, unauthorized transfers, identity fraud, and conspiracy.”
Celeste slowly moved away from Nathan.
“And what about me?”
Everyone looked at her.
She swallowed.
“I didn’t move money.”
Nathan laughed.
“You enjoyed spending it.”
Celeste glared at him.
“I thought it was yours.”
“You never asked.”
“Because you lied.”
Nathan leaned toward her.
“You knew exactly what kind of man I was.”
Celeste became quiet.
That sentence hurt her because it was true.
I understood something then.
Celeste was not innocent.
But she also knew Nathan better than anyone in the room except me.
That made her dangerous to him.
“Celeste.”
She looked at me.
“What did Nathan tell you about Charles?”
Nathan shouted, “Don’t answer.”
She smiled at him.
“Now I definitely will.”
Nathan stood.
Cole’s partner moved closer.
Celeste opened her handbag.
“I have something.”
She removed a hotel key card.
“The Meridian Crown Hotel.”
Adrian recognized it immediately.
“Hartwell Capital owns forty percent of that property.”
Celeste nodded.
“Nathan met an older man there every month.”
Nathan’s face changed.
My father saw it.
“Charles.”
Celeste shrugged.
“I never knew his name.”
“When?”
“Last Thursday.”
Dad turned toward Adrian.
“Pull security footage.”
Adrian started making calls.
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“You think Charles is stupid enough to appear on hotel cameras?”
I remembered another piece.
“The private elevator.”
Everyone looked at me.
Nathan had once bragged that the Meridian Crown had a private executive entrance accessible only through encrypted key cards.
Celeste held up her card.
“This opens it.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
That was confirmation enough.
Detective Cole took the card.
Then her phone rang.
She listened for several seconds.
Her expression became serious.
“What?”
We all waited.
She ended the call.
“Ashford International’s headquarters were breached twenty minutes ago.”
Nathan looked genuinely confused.
Adrian frowned.
“Physically?”
“Someone entered the executive archive.”
My father looked at Malcolm.
Malcolm shook his head.
“That wasn’t me.”
Cole continued.
“One file was removed.”
“What file?”
She looked directly at me.
“Evelyn Ashford’s original trust documents.”
Nathan stared at her.
Then his face went pale.
I understood immediately.
If Charles Ashford was alive, he was not coming to rescue Nathan.
May you like
He was cleaning up after him.
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