Chapter 4: The Investor Behind the Curtain
“Because if Charlotte discovers who really owns the money, she'll realize the Whitmore acquisition was never the real target.””
Richard Whitmore's words hung in the air long after the call ended.
Victoria stood beside the boutique's glass doors, her cream-colored coat draped over one arm. For the first time that morning, she seemed to have forgotten how to look superior.
I watched her carefully.
“Who is the investor, Victoria?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“You expect me to believe your father has been negotiating a four-hundred-million-dollar acquisition without telling his own daughter who is financing it?””
“My father doesn't discuss every detail of his business with me.””
“But he discusses enough to tell you not to let me see a document.””
Her jaw tightened.
“Look, Charlotte, whatever you think is happening, my family has done nothing wrong.””
Eleanor closed her folder.
“Then you should welcome the independent review.””
Victoria ignored her and approached me.
“Please. Can we discuss this somewhere private? My father is willing to meet with you personally.””
“Your father can contact my office.””
“He wants to explain everything before this becomes a disaster.””
I studied her face. There was fear in her eyes, but beneath it I could still see the familiar impatience of someone accustomed to having obstacles removed.
“An explanation isn't the same as evidence,” I said.
She looked away.
Then her phone vibrated again.
She read the message and went rigid.
“What is it?”” I asked.
“Nothing.””
“Victoria.””
She hesitated before turning the screen toward me.
The message came from an unknown number.
*Tell your father the Bellamy woman has to sign today. If the deal collapses, we all lose more than money.*
Below the message was a photograph of a document bearing the Whitmore Capital logo.
I recognized the signature at the bottom.
Richard Whitmore's.
But it wasn't the signature that caught my attention.
It was the date.
The document had been signed four months earlier, long before my company had received the Whitmore proposal.
“Where did you get this?”” I asked.
“It was sent to me just now.””
“Who sent it?””
“I told you. An unknown number.””
“Have you seen this document before?””
“No.””
I handed the phone back.
“Eleanor, forward the screenshot to David. Ask him to preserve the original message and determine whether the document matches anything in our records.””
“Of course.””
Victoria watched us with growing panic.
“You're treating me like a criminal.””
“No. I'm treating this transaction like a transaction that may contain undisclosed obligations.””
Martin returned from the stockroom, holding a small black tablet.
“Ms. Bellamy, there's something else you should know.””
I turned toward him.
“What is it?””
He glanced at Victoria before speaking.
“Three weeks ago, a man came into the store claiming to represent Whitmore Capital. He asked to see our inventory records and the private client database.””
Eleanor frowned.
“Who authorized that?””
“Mrs. Whitmore did.””
Victoria spun around.
“That's a lie!””
Martin flinched but continued.
“He showed me a letter with your family's logo, and Mrs. Whitmore told me to cooperate because the acquisition would make them our new owners.””
I looked at Victoria.
“Did you authorize someone to access our private client information?””
“I authorized a business representative to inspect the store. That's standard procedure before an acquisition.””
“An inventory inspection is one thing. Accessing confidential client records is another.””
“He never accessed anything!””
Martin swallowed.
“He tried.””
Victoria's face turned crimson.
“Because you failed to secure the office properly!””
Martin looked down.
I stepped between them.
“Enough. No one is going to intimidate an employee into changing his statement.””
For a moment, Victoria seemed ready to argue.
Then she noticed the customers still watching.
She lowered her voice.
“You're making a mistake by trusting him.””
“I'm not trusting anyone blindly. I'm asking questions and documenting the answers.””
Eleanor's phone rang.
She listened for several seconds before covering the microphone.
“Charlotte, David has found something. The outside investor appears in a separate financing agreement attached to the original ownership schedule. Its name is Northstar Meridian.””
The name meant nothing to me at first.
Then Eleanor added, “The agreement contains a clause granting the investor a right to acquire additional voting shares if the Whitmore transaction fails to close.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Additional voting shares in what company?””
“Bellamy Holdings.””
Victoria stared at us.
I looked directly at her.
“Your family wasn't simply buying into my company. Someone was positioning themselves to gain control if the acquisition failed.””
Eleanor nodded grimly.
“That's what the documents suggest. But David needs the complete agreement before we can draw a final conclusion.””
I walked toward the store's private office.
“Then we're going to get it.””
Victoria followed me.
“Charlotte, wait.””
I stopped.
“What?””
She hesitated, then spoke so quietly that only Eleanor and I could hear.
“My father told me the investment was supposed to save our family.””
I studied her.
“Save you from what?””
Her eyes glistened, but she quickly blinked away the tears.
“I don't know all the details. I swear.””
“Then help us establish the truth.””
She looked toward the glass doors, where a black sedan had just pulled to the curb.
A man in a charcoal suit stepped out.
Victoria recognized him immediately.
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
“Who is that?””
She backed away from the window.
“Daniel Cross.””
Eleanor's expression changed.
“Northstar Meridian's managing director?””
Victoria nodded.
“He wasn't supposed to come here.””
The man entered Bellamy House without looking at the merchandise. He scanned the showroom until his eyes settled on me.
Then he smiled.
“Charlotte Bellamy,” he said.
“At last. Your father and I have been trying to arrange this meeting for years.””
I felt the room grow cold.
“My father has been dead for eleven years.””
Daniel's smile never faltered.
“I'm aware.””
May you like
He placed a thick envelope on the counter.
“Which is why you'll find what I brought you particularly interesting.””
