Andrew called at 10:41 p.m.
By then Nina and I had relocated to my father's lake house.
The dining table had disappeared beneath folders, laptops, printouts, bank statements, and handwritten timelines.
I answered because I wanted to hear what fear sounded like in his voice.
“Claire.”
He sounded calm.
Too calm.
“Andrew.”
“We need to talk.”
“About Victor?”
Silence.
I glanced at Nina.
Her eyes narrowed.
“So Melissa called you.”
“No.”
“Then how do you know that name?”
“That isn't important.”
“It is to me.”
“You're in trouble, Claire.”
I almost laughed.
“I've heard that several times this week.”
“I'm serious.”
“So am I.”
He exhaled.
“I can explain Northstar.”
“Then explain.”
“Not over the phone.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm not stupid.”
I looked at Nina.
She wrote one word on her pad.
Meet.
“Where?”
“Your lake house.”
My stomach tightened.
“How do you know where I am?”
“Daniel told me you go there when you're upset.”
That answer did not comfort me.
“No.”
“Then pick somewhere.”
Nina wrote: Office. Cameras.
“Prescott Logistics headquarters. Main conference room.”
“At midnight?”
“You requested secrecy.”
Andrew hesitated.
“Fine.”
“No bags.”
“What?”
“No bags. No laptop. No papers we haven't approved.”
“You think I'm dangerous?”
“I think you've moved millions of dollars through fake consulting agreements.”
Silence.
Then:
“Midnight.”
He disconnected.
Nina arranged security before we left.
Two guards would remain outside the conference room.
Marcus would monitor building access remotely.
Every camera would record.
No employee besides security knew we were coming.
At 11:58, Andrew entered the lobby.
He wore jeans, a dark jacket, and the tired expression of someone who had spent an entire day calculating exits.
The first thing I noticed was that he wasn't carrying anything.
The second was that he had stopped smiling.
Andrew had always smiled.
At birthdays.
At funerals.
During arguments.
Even when Daniel humiliated me at dinner, he had hidden behind that reflexive half grin.
Not tonight.
He sat opposite me.
Nina remained at my right.
“Am I being recorded?”
“Yes.”
He looked irritated.
“I thought this was private.”
“It is private from everyone except counsel and investigators.”
“I need assurances.”
“About what?”
“Immunity.”
Nina answered before I could.
“You don't get to negotiate immunity with corporate counsel.”
“Then why am I here?”
I leaned forward.
“Because you're scared.”
His gaze settled on mine.
“You should be too.”
“Of Victor?”
Andrew looked toward Nina.
“If I talk, Daniel gets destroyed.”
“Daniel is already under investigation.”
“Not like this.”
“What does that mean?”
He rubbed his hands together.
“Everything Daniel told you about Ridgewell is incomplete.”
I wasn't surprised.
“What's missing?”
“Ridgewell didn't approach Daniel.”
“Who did?”
“I did.”
Nina's pen stopped.
“Why?”
“Because he needed money.”
“How did you know?”
“He told me.”
“When?”
“After TransitCore started collapsing.”
“So you introduced him to Ridgewell.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I had connections.”
“What connections?”
“A partner there.”
“Victor?”
Andrew looked at me.
“Yes.”
“Last name.”
He hesitated.
“Vale.”
Nina wrote it.
Victor Vale.
“Position?”
“Managing director.”
“Relationship to you?”
“Business.”
“Personal?”
Andrew looked away.
“That too.”
“What kind?”
“We've done deals.”
“Legal ones?”
“Mostly.”
Nina's expression changed.
“Mostly isn't reassuring.”
Andrew ignored her.
“Victor arranged Daniel's loan.”
“At what rate?”
“Punitive.”
“Why would Daniel accept it?”
“Because he had no alternatives.”
“He had me.”
Andrew looked at me.
“That was the one alternative he refused.”
The truth in that hurt more than I expected.
“Why?”
“You would've shut it down.”
“Yes.”
“Exactly.”
Andrew leaned back.
“Daniel believed one rebound could fix everything.”
“Instead he lost more.”
“Right.”
“And then?”
“Victor offered a restructuring.”
“The twenty percent equity?”
“That's the clean version.”
“What is the dirty version?”
Andrew smiled faintly.
There he was again.
The man who thought charm could soften ugliness.
I didn't react.
His smile vanished.
“Ridgewell doesn't really want repayment.”
“What do they want?”
“Prescott.”
“Why?”
“Routes. Warehouses. Customer contracts. Fleet.”
“They can buy companies openly.”
“Distressed assets are cheaper.”
A cold understanding settled over me.
“They expected Daniel to default.”
“Yes.”
“From the beginning?”
Andrew hesitated.
“Yes.”
Nina spoke.
“So the loan wasn't rescue financing.”
“No.”
“It was acquisition leverage.”
“Essentially.”
I stared at him.
“You introduced my husband to a lender you knew wanted him to fail.”
“I didn't know that at first.”
“When did you know?”
“After the second amendment.”
“And you still helped.”
“I was already in.”
“That's not an answer.”
He looked at me.
“I was being paid.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred thousand initially.”
“By Ridgewell?”
“Victor personally.”
“Then the consulting transfers?”
“Some were reimbursements.”
“Some?”
“Daniel used Bell Advisory to move money because direct transfers would have drawn attention.”
“So you laundered his withdrawals.”
Andrew's jaw tightened.
“I structured transactions.”
“That's a prettier phrase.”
Nina intervened.
“Where is Paul?”
Andrew looked at the table.
“I don't know.”
“Melissa saw you arguing with him yesterday.”
“She shouldn't have been listening.”
“What changed?”
“Paul figured out what Ridgewell was doing.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
“And?”
“He panicked.”
“Why?”
“Because Daniel's plan depended on the Holbrook sale closing before Ridgewell enforced.”
“And Holbrook?”
“Wouldn't close fast enough.”
“Because of me.”
“Because they needed valid control documentation.”
“So Daniel's scheme stalled.”
“Yes.”
“And Paul?”
“Paul decided to protect himself.”
“How?”
“Northstar.”
I leaned closer.
“Explain.”
Andrew rubbed his jaw.
“Northstar was created to warehouse the missing funds temporarily.”
“Why?”
“To make Prescott's books look cleaner during buyer diligence.”
“You were hiding losses.”
“Yes.”
“How much did you expect to move?”
“Five, maybe six million.”
“But the account accumulated sixteen.”
Andrew nodded.
“Because Paul started redirecting additional money.”
“Without Daniel knowing?”
“At first, no.”
“At first?”
“Daniel knew some transfers were happening. He didn't know the total.”
“Where did the twelve million go?”
“I don't know.”
I watched him carefully.
“I don't believe you.”
“You should.”
“You were arguing with Paul hours after the transfer.”
“Because I found out.”
“How?”
“Victor called me.”
“Why would Victor know?”
Andrew went silent.
That was the first moment I knew we had reached the part he had come to protect.
“Andrew.”
He looked toward the camera.
Then back at me.
“Northstar's offshore destination belongs to a fund Victor controls.”
Nina stopped writing.
“What?”
“Not officially.”
“What does officially mean?”
“It sits behind two entities.”
“Why would Paul send twelve million to Victor?”
“He wasn't supposed to.”
“Then why did he?”
“I don't know.”
Nina leaned forward.
“Did Victor ask for it?”
Andrew's silence answered before he did.
“Maybe.”
“You're lying,” she said.
“I'm not.”
“Victor knew Northstar existed. Victor knew the account held diverted money. Victor called you immediately after the transfer. You expect us to believe he had nothing to do with receiving it?”
Andrew's face hardened.
“Victor doesn't leave instructions in emails.”
“That wasn't my question.”
He looked at me.
“This is why I wanted assurances.”
“What are you afraid he'll do?”
Andrew laughed quietly.
“You think this is a boardroom dispute.”
“Then educate me.”
“Victor has destroyed people financially.”
“That isn't illegal by itself.”
“He uses leverage.”
“What leverage?”
“Private information. Debt. Affairs. Tax problems. Anything.”
“Was he blackmailing Daniel?”
“No.”
“Paul?”
“Possibly.”
“You?”
Andrew looked down.
There.
Finally.
“What does Victor have on you?”
“Nothing relevant.”
“Then why are you protecting him?”
“I am not.”
“You came here offering Daniel's secrets, but every answer stops when Victor appears.”
Andrew looked at me for a long time.
Then he said, “I owe him money.”
“How much?”
“Two million.”
“Why?”
“Separate investment.”
“TransitCore?”
“No.”
“What?”
“Doesn't matter.”
“It matters if it explains why you helped him target Prescott.”
He clenched his jaw.
“I helped because I needed my debt reduced.”
“How much was Victor going to forgive?”
“All of it.”
“In exchange for Prescott defaulting?”
“Yes.”
The confession hung in the room.
Andrew had introduced Daniel to Ridgewell because sacrificing our company could erase his own debt.
Every person around Daniel had somehow found a way to turn his desperation into private profit.
Charles wanted equity.
Melissa wanted a percentage.
Andrew wanted debt forgiveness.
Paul apparently wanted money.
And Daniel wanted control.
“What did Victor promise Paul?”
“I don't know.”
“Guess.”
“I don't guess.”
“You've guessed about everything else tonight.”
Andrew looked toward the glass wall.
“Paul believed he could take money and disappear.”
“From Daniel?”
“From everyone.”
“Did Victor help?”
“I don't know.”
I watched him.
He was still hiding something.
“What is your price?” I asked.
“My what?”
“You didn't come here out of conscience.”
His expression changed.
“What do you want?”
“I want written protection from the company.”
“For what?”
“Cooperation.”
“Meaning?”
“I give you everything I have.”
“Everything?”
“Emails, messages, Ridgewell documents, Daniel's side agreements, recordings.”
“In return?”
“You don't pursue Bell Advisory for restitution.”
I almost admired the audacity.
“You helped move millions.”
“I can help recover more.”
“That's not the same thing.”
“If you sue me, I fight.”
“Then fight.”
He stared at me.
“You'll lose time.”
“We have investigators.”
“Not enough.”
He leaned forward.
“I can give you Victor.”
Nina's eyes sharpened.
“How?”
“I recorded him.”
“What?”
“Three meetings.”
“When?”
“Over the last year.”
“Why?”
“Insurance.”
Of course.
Nobody in this group trusted anyone else.
Andrew unlocked his phone but didn't hand it over.
“I want terms first.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
His face hardened.
“Then we're done.”
He stood.
I didn't stop him.
He took two steps toward the door.
Then I said, “Paul has something on you.”
He stopped.
I didn't know that.
Not for certain.
But his shoulders told me I was right.
“What?”
I remained seated.
“That's why you came tonight.”
He turned slowly.
“Paul took more than money.”
Silence.
“What did he take?”
Andrew looked at Nina.
Then at the camera.
Then at me.
“A backup drive.”
“What was on it?”
“Everything.”
“Define everything.”
“Northstar records. Ridgewell agreements. Daniel's forged approvals.”
“And?”
He swallowed.
“The real TransitCore account statements.”
I frowned.
“What about them?”
Andrew's face had gone pale.
“Daniel didn't lose fifteen million.”
Nina leaned forward.
“What?”
“He lost four.”
I stared at him.
“Then where did the rest go?”
Andrew sank back into the chair.
“That,” he said, “is why Paul disappeared.”
Click here to continue reading: PART 11: Daniel’s Fifteen-Million-Dollar Loss Was a Lie, and the Missing Eleven Million Led to a Second Scheme Hidden Inside the First
At Our Anniversary Table, Daniel Made Me the Family Joke Without Knowing I Still Controlled Everything He Claimed as His
Part 10 of 35
