Chương 8
“Do you share an Apple account, cloud backup, family device access, or location services with Gavin?”
My stomach sank.
“Our phones are on the same family plan.”
“That alone does not necessarily expose messages.”
“He set up my phone.”
Dana’s expression sharpened.
“When?”
“Two years ago, after mine broke.”
“Do you know your account passwords?”
“Some.”
“Does he?”
“Probably.”
Marcus was already speaking quietly to someone on his phone.
Dana held out her hand but stopped before taking mine.
“Turn your phone off.”
I did.
The black screen reflected my face.
Margaret ended her call.
“I’ve asked building security not to admit Gavin.”
“Would he come here?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Then the conference room door opened.
The receptionist stepped inside, pale and breathless.
“Margaret, there’s a man downstairs demanding to see Nora.”
My heart kicked hard.
“Gavin?”
The receptionist shook her head.
“No.”
She looked directly at me.
“He says his name is Arthur Bell, and he says the noon board meeting has been moved up.”
Margaret stood.
“Why?”
The receptionist swallowed.
“Because Gavin has accused Nora of conspiring with the trust to seize control of Summit Crest through forged documents.”
The accusation was so absurd that for a second I expected someone to laugh.
Nobody did.
Arthur Bell entered the conference room three minutes later with his overcoat still on and his tie slightly crooked.
I had never seen him look disordered before.
He closed the door behind him and stared at Margaret.
“What did he send?”
Margaret held up one hand.
“Before we discuss anything, Nora needs to understand what happened.”
Arthur looked at me.
The expression on his face was not guilt exactly.
It was the expression of a man who had spent years convincing himself that silence was neutral.
“Gavin emailed the full board at nine seventeen,” he said.
“With what?”
“A memorandum accusing the Vance Family Trust of preparing an unlawful takeover using documents that were never properly activated after your father’s death.”
Dana frowned.
“That theory is nonsense.”
“I know.”
“Does the board?”
“Some do.”
That answer chilled me.
Arthur removed his coat and draped it over the back of a chair.
“He attached copies of internal trust materials.”
Margaret went still.
“What copies?”
“Ownership charts, old restructuring notes, correspondence from Robert, and a draft proxy instrument.”
Marcus looked up sharply.
“Draft?”
Arthur nodded.
“Unsigned.”
Dana stood.
“Then he is trying to create ambiguity between executed documents and working papers.”
“Yes.”
I looked from one face to another.
“How did he get them?”
Margaret answered.
“That is now an urgent question.”
Arthur turned toward me.
“He also alleges that you became aware of the trust recently and are being manipulated into acting against the company.”
I laughed.
This one had almost a physical taste.
“Manipulated by whom?”
“Margaret.”
“Of course.”
“And me.”
I looked at him.
“That’s convenient.”
“Yes.”
His mouth tightened.
“He says I concealed the identity of a controlling shareholder in violation of my duties.”
“Did you?”
Arthur’s eyes did not leave mine.
“I complied with lawful confidentiality requirements.”
“That was not my question.”
“No.”
His answer came quieter.
“I did not violate my duty.”
I picked up my purse.
“What time is the meeting?”
“Ten thirty.”
It was ten twelve.
Dana stepped between me and the door.
“Going there angry is not a strategy.”
“I’m not angry.”
Everyone in the room looked at me.
I changed my answer.
“Fine, I’m furious.”
“Good.”
Dana picked up a yellow legal pad.
“Then we know the problem.”
Arthur glanced at his watch.
“Nora, the meeting can proceed without you.”
“That sounds like exactly what Gavin wants.”
“It may be.”
Margaret came around the table.
“You do not need to prove anything personally today.”
“He is telling my board I forged my father’s documents.”
“Your board?”
Arthur asked.
I looked at him.
The words had come out before I examined them.
“Yes.”
Something flickered across Margaret’s face.
Not approval.
Recognition.
Dana tore a page from her pad.
“Then listen carefully.”
I did.
“Do not accuse Gavin of crimes you cannot yet prove.”
“I won’t.”
“Do not repeat Camila’s claims unless she has consented to disclosure and counsel has preserved the messages.”
“All right.”
“Do not speculate about why he accessed the trust.”
“I won’t.”
“Do not demand conclusions from the board.”
I frowned.
“Why not?”
“Because a credible person asking for process is harder to dismiss than an emotional spouse asking for revenge.”
I disliked the sentence.
I also understood it.
Arthur said, “She’s right.”
I looked at him.
“I’m not sure you’re on my list of people whose agreement helps.”
He absorbed that without flinching.
“Fair.”
Margaret picked up a slim binder.
“We have certified copies of the trust instruments and voting records.”
Dana added, “And we can establish the chain of custody for those.”
Marcus closed his laptop.
“I need to stay here and continue reviewing the access logs.”
Arthur looked at him.
“Can you tell whether Gavin downloaded anything this morning?”
“Not yet.”
“Can you tell me before the meeting ends?”
“I can tell you when I know.”
Arthur nodded.
That tiny exchange calmed me more than any reassurance could have.
Nobody had a miraculous answer.
Nobody was pretending to.
We left together.
In the elevator, Arthur stood beside me without speaking.
At the lobby, he finally said, “Your father asked me once whether I thought Gavin loved you.”
I looked at him.
“What did you say?”
“That it was none of my business.”
“And what did Dad say?”
Arthur stared at the brass elevator doors.
“He said that was the answer of a coward.”
I almost smiled.
“That sounds like him.”
“Yes.”
We stepped outside.
Margaret’s driver was waiting at the curb, but I stopped before getting in.
“Arthur.”
He turned.
“When did Dad tell you I was the beneficiary?”
“Seven years ago.”
Before I quit my job.
Before Mia was born.
Before Gavin began restricting our money.
May you like
I looked at him for a long time.
“You watched me give up my career.”
