Chương 10
“Michael was in Chicago for two days.”
“And Mercer.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Alexander waited.
Claire corrected herself.
“Nothing obvious.”
She crossed to the conference table.
“Daniel brought flowers.”
“What kind?”
She frowned.
“Why does that matter?”
“It may not.”
“White roses.”
“Did he know you liked them?”
“I don’t.”
Nathan sat down.
Claire continued before Alexander could ask.
“My husband used to buy white roses.”
That changed the room.
“He knew that?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
She folded her arms tighter.
“Maybe Michael told him.”
Alexander’s mouth hardened.
Claire saw it.
“Do not turn my brother into a villain because he is careless.”
“I haven’t.”
“You’re close.”
“He gave Mercer your building credentials and personal information.”
“He trusted him.”
“So did you.”
The words hit harder than Alexander intended.
Claire’s face closed.
“Yes.”
She looked away.
“Yes, I did.”
Alexander straightened.
“That wasn’t an accusation.”
“It sounded like one.”
“I know.”
She stared at him.
“Do you?”
He let the question sit.
His reputation had been built partly on never apologizing when an apology could be mistaken for weakness.
Ethan had spent years dismantling that habit in small, humiliating increments.
Alexander said, “I’m sorry.”
Claire’s expression shifted.
She had expected resistance.
He was beginning to understand that she had spent too long talking to men who treated every concession like surrender.
Nathan cleared his throat.
“I can compare this device token against anything else the company has, if you have records.”
Claire looked at him.
“What records?”
“Corporate security logs.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“From Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t just hand those to you.”
Nathan nodded.
“Then don’t.”
Alexander glanced at him.
Nathan continued.
“You have internal IT.”
“We do.”
“Ask them to search for the token.”
Claire hesitated.
“Daniel supervises our chief information officer.”
“That complicates it.”
“That is an understatement.”
Alexander asked, “Who does the CIO report to formally?”
“Daniel.”
“And you?”
“I’m chief executive.”
“Then issue the request yourself.”
Claire shook her head.
“If Daniel is already preparing to challenge my fitness with the board, a secret internal investigation involving his devices gives him exactly the story he wants.”
“What story?”
“That I’m paranoid.”
Alexander looked at her.
“Someone disabled the cameras outside your home.”
“I know what happened.”
“That isn’t the same as being able to prove who did it.”
“That is exactly my point.”
She began pacing.
“If I call IT and say I suspect Daniel accessed my residential security system, the request gets logged.”
“Good.”
“No.”
She stopped.
“You do not understand corporate politics.”
Marcus returned carrying a paper bag.
Alexander looked at him.
Marcus raised one hand.
“I heard nothing.”
Claire continued.
“The board is split on the sale.”
“How split?”
“Three support it, two oppose it, and one keeps pretending he needs more information because he enjoys being courted.”
Alexander almost smiled.
“That one may be the smartest.”
“He is seventy-six and once fell asleep during a debt presentation.”
“Still possible.”
Claire ignored him.
“Daniel has spent months telling them I’m too emotionally attached to my father’s company to negotiate rationally.”
Marcus set the food on the table.
“Is that true?”
Claire looked at him.
“That I’m emotional?”
“That you’re attached.”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
Marcus nodded.
“Doesn’t make him right about the rest.”
Claire’s posture softened slightly.
Nathan reopened the laptop.
“Who is the undecided director?”
“Harold Wexler.”
Marcus stopped opening the bag.
Alexander noticed.
“You know him?”
Marcus glanced at Claire.
“His nephew owes someone money.”
Claire stared.
Alexander said, “Not relevant.”
Marcus nodded.
“Probably not.”
“Definitely not.”
“Fine.”
Claire looked between them.
“I have several questions.”
Alexander ignored that.
“What happens at tomorrow’s meeting?”
“The board votes on whether to grant exclusive negotiation rights to the buyer Daniel introduced.”
“And if it passes?”
“We enter a forty-five-day exclusivity period.”
“Can the company still reject the sale?”
“Yes, but practically, it changes leverage.”
“How?”
Claire sat down.
“The buyer gets access to deeper diligence.”
“Financials?”
“Financials, contracts, pricing data, vendor arrangements, some operational metrics.”
Nathan looked up.
“Security architecture?”
“Not normally.”
Alexander watched her.
“What does Mercer gain personally if the sale closes?”
Claire’s answer came too slowly.
“I don’t know.”
Marcus opened the paper bag.
“You should.”
She looked annoyed.
“I know his compensation.”
“That isn’t what he asked.”
Claire rubbed her forehead.
“There’s a transaction bonus.”
“How much?”
“About two million.”
Marcus whistled.
Claire gave him a look.
He took out a sandwich.
“Sorry.”
Alexander asked, “Anything else?”
“Potential employment with the buyer.”
“Guaranteed?”
“No.”
“Equity?”
“I don’t know.”
Alexander’s eyes stayed on her.
Claire became defensive.
“I did not negotiate Daniel’s side arrangement.”
“But your board approved his incentive.”
“My father did.”
“Before he died?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Last summer.”
Alexander looked at Nathan.
Nathan understood.
“Before or after the buyer first approached?”
Claire went still.
“I don’t know.”
Marcus stopped unwrapping the sandwich.
Claire looked from one man to another.
“What?”
Alexander said, “Find out.”
“You think Daniel arranged the sale before my father approved his bonus.”
“I think timing matters.”
Claire stood again.
“My father trusted him.”
“So did your brother.”
The anger came back.
“You really don’t let things go.”
“No.”
“That must be exhausting.”
“It is.”
Nathan’s laptop chimed.
Everyone looked at him.
He opened a new email.
“Michael sent additional logs.”
Claire walked over.
Nathan scanned the attachment.
Then his face changed.
“What?”
He did not answer immediately.
“What?” Claire repeated.
Nathan turned the screen.
“There was another administrator action last night.”
Claire leaned closer.
“At six fourteen, two minutes after the cameras were disabled.”
Alexander came around the table.
Nathan pointed to a second entry.
Claire read it aloud.
“Resident access credential created.”
Her face emptied.
“What credential?”
Nathan clicked through.
“A temporary digital key.”
“For which unit?”
He looked at her.
“Yours.”
Marcus slowly set down his sandwich.
Claire gripped the edge of the table.
“How long was it active?”
Nathan scrolled.
“Six fourteen p.m. until eight p.m.”
May you like
Grace had said Mercer arrived around seven twenty.
Alexander looked toward the sitting-room door.
