Chapter 13 - Seventy-Two Hours
Daniel discovered the court had scheduled an emergency custody hearing.
Seventy-two hours.
If Grace lost, Lily could be placed in temporary state custody until the paternity dispute was resolved.
Richard’s strategy was obvious.
Separate mother and child.
Exhaust Grace financially.
Damage Nathan publicly.
Then challenge Lily’s inheritance.
Nathan assembled his executive team.
Half refused to support him.
The board chair, Howard Keene, gave him a warning.
“Distance yourself from Grace Bennett.”
Nathan stared across the conference table.
“She was threatened by my family.”
“That’s not the company’s problem.”
“My company created the false evidence.”
“That remains unproven.”
Nathan leaned forward.
“If Cole Meridian participated, it is absolutely the company’s problem.”
Howard lowered his voice.
“If you continue, the board may remove you.”
Nathan sat back.
There it was.
The choice Richard had predicted.
Legacy or Lily.
Nathan looked around the table.
Then closed his laptop.
“I’ll save you the discussion.”
He removed his access badge.
Several directors looked relieved.
Then Nathan smiled faintly.
“I’m not resigning.”
Their relief vanished.
“I’m calling an emergency shareholder meeting.”
Howard laughed.
“You don’t have the votes.”
Nathan placed Charles’s codicil on the table.
“No.”
“But my daughter might.”
Silence.
If Lily’s twenty-eight percent trust was validated, Nathan’s family voting bloc would control the company.
That meant Richard’s allies could lose everything.
Howard stared at the document.
“Where did you get this?”
“My father’s archive.”
Howard’s face changed.
Nathan saw it.
“You knew about the archive.”
Howard stood.
“This meeting is over.”
Nathan blocked the door.
“Were you working with Richard?”
Howard said nothing.
Nathan’s phone buzzed.
A text from Detective Reyes.
We found Marcus Dean.
Alive.
Nathan immediately called.
“Where?”
“Airport parking structure.”
“Was he running?”
“No.”
Reyes paused.
“He was beaten.”
Nathan looked at Grace.
“Can he talk?”
“Barely.”
“What did he say?”
Reyes’ voice dropped.
“Richard is cleaning up witnesses.”
Nathan felt a chill.
Then she added.
“And Marcus says Howard Keene ordered the archive fire.”
Nathan slowly turned toward the board chair.
Howard was already reaching inside his jacket.
Nathan did not know whether he was reaching for a phone, keys, or something worse.
Security rushed in before anyone found out.
Howard was detained.
Nathan looked at the clock.
May you like
Seventy-one hours remained.
And Richard’s empire had started eating its own people.
