Chapter 10 - DANIEL'S MONEY
It was not a bribe.
That would have been simpler.
Daniel had borrowed two million dollars from the equity group.
Personal loan.
Undisclosed.
He used it to cover losses from a failed investment Claire knew nothing about.
“You gambled two million dollars?”
“It wasn’t gambling.”
“What was it?”
“A startup.”
“That failed.”
“Yes.”
“And then you negotiated company business with your lender.”
Daniel looked sick.
“Yes.”
Claire sat back.
This was not fear.
Not misunderstanding.
Not manipulation.
He had made a selfish, reckless decision.
Then hidden it.
“When were you going to tell me?”
“I wasn’t.”
The honesty was brutal.
“Did Sabrina know?”
“No.”
“Did she know you were trying to use my proxy?”
“Not until later.”
“And she stayed with you?”
Daniel looked away.
Claire laughed softly.
“Perfect.”
She did not expose the loan publicly.
Not yet.
She gave the evidence to Ruth and the independent committee.
Daniel accused her of trying to destroy him.
“No,” Claire said. “I’m refusing to protect you.”
That distinction mattered.
The board suspended Daniel.
He left headquarters through the front doors while cameras gathered outside.
Sabrina watched the footage from a conference room.
She whispered, “I did love him.”
Claire looked at her.
“Do you still?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s inconvenient.”
Sabrina almost smiled.
Then she handed Claire another document.
Voss had uncovered a sealed 1987 partnership agreement.
Arthur Cole’s signature.
Claire’s grandfather’s signature.
Fifty-fifty ownership.
If authentic, the entire history of Whitmore Meridian was wrong.
May you like
And the Whitmore trust might own far less than Claire had believed all her life.
