Chapter 11 - TWENTY-FOUR HOURS
The next twenty-four hours became the longest day of Elena’s career.
Teams across four countries began replacing vendor agreements.
Emergency software licenses were activated.
Alternate lenders confirmed contingency facilities.
Suppliers were informed that Julian no longer possessed authority to terminate contracts.
Every move had to happen quietly.
One warning could give Julian time to react.
For several hours, it worked.
Then Camila made a mistake.
She called her brother.
Daniel Reeves immediately attempted to withdraw nearly four hundred thousand dollars from Cedar Lane Consulting.
The transaction was flagged.
That alert told Elena two things.
Camila knew an investigation was underway.
And someone had warned her.
The circle of trusted people suddenly became smaller.
Elena looked at Adrian.
“Who have you spoken to?”
“No one.”
“Your attorney?”
“No.”
“Julian?”
“Absolutely not.”
Margaret studied him.
“What about Kessler?”
Adrian shook his head.
Thomas asked the obvious question.
“Then how did Camila know?”
Nobody answered.
Elena thought about the people inside the family operation.
Board members.
Executives.
Attorneys.
Trust administrators.
Someone was feeding information back to Julian.
That evening, Elena gave three different versions of the next day’s strategy to three different groups.
One group was told they would freeze the international accounts.
Another heard that the trust intended to remove Julian from the board.
A third was told Elena planned to confront Kessler directly.
Then she waited.
At 9:41 p.m., Julian’s attorney filed an emergency motion focused specifically on stopping Elena from removing Julian from the board.
Elena looked at Margaret.
“The second group.”
Only five people had heard that version.
One was Charles Hamilton.
The chairman.
The man who had served Meridian Crown for fourteen years.
The man Elena’s grandfather had personally appointed.
Thomas stared at the evidence.
“No.”
Elena understood.
Charles had been at family birthdays.
He had attended her grandfather’s funeral.
He had once called Elena his second daughter.
But phone records obtained during the internal audit showed repeated private calls between Charles and Julian.
Some lasted nearly an hour.
Elena felt the familiar ache of betrayal.
This time she did not allow it to become hesitation.
“Remove Charles from tomorrow’s confidential briefing.”
Thomas looked at her.
“You’re certain?”
Elena looked through the glass wall at the city.
“No.”
“Then why do it?”
“Because Julian keeps winning when everyone gives people the benefit of the doubt.”
She turned back.
“I’m done financing doubt with my future.”
At that exact moment, Charles Hamilton was sitting across from Julian in a dark private club.
Julian raised his glass.
“Tomorrow, Elena thinks she’s removing me.”
Charles looked uncomfortable.
“And what are you actually doing?”
Julian smiled.
May you like
“Removing her.”
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