Chapter 7 - DANIEL'S NINETY DAYS
Daniel did not deny the recording.
He denied the meaning.
“I was talking about the acquisition.”
“Then explain ninety days.”
He paced the library.
“If the proxy passed, I could stabilize the board while you were traveling.”
“By replacing directors loyal to the trust?”
“They’re loyal to you, not the company.”
“They are fiduciaries.”
“They are afraid of your name.”
“And you aren’t?”
“No.”
That answer was immediate.
Maybe it had always been the problem.
Daniel admitted working with a private equity group that wanted Whitmore Meridian to acquire a struggling logistics company.
Claire had rejected the deal twice.
Daniel believed she was wrong.
So he planned to use the temporary proxy to force the acquisition.
“That’s fraud.”
“I didn’t forge your signature.”
“But you intended to use it.”
Daniel said nothing.
Claire felt something stranger than heartbreak.
Disappointment.
He had not betrayed her for love alone.
He had decided her judgment was an obstacle.
“You could have resigned.”
“I built half this company with you.”
“You were paid.”
His face changed.
“That’s exactly how you see people.”
Claire regretted the sentence immediately.
Daniel had worked fourteen-hour days beside her for years.
He had earned his career.
He had not earned her shares.
Both things could be true.
Then Daniel said, “Ask Martin who introduced me to the equity group.”
Claire looked at him.
“Who?”
“Your mother.”
Claire went still.
“Eleanor met them before she died. She wanted options.”
“Options for what?”
Daniel’s eyes stayed on hers.
“For selling Whitmore Meridian.”
Claire laughed.
“My mother would never sell.”
Daniel’s expression was almost pitying.
“You knew Eleanor as your mother.”
He tapped the desk.
“I knew her as my chairman.”
Then the front doors opened.
Martin entered without knocking.
He had heard enough.
“Daniel is telling the truth,” he said.
Claire turned.
“About which part?”
Martin’s face tightened.
“Your mother wanted to sell the company.”
May you like
Then he added, “To Sabrina’s father.”
