{"id":10368,"date":"2026-09-13T16:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T16:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=10368"},"modified":"2026-09-13T16:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T16:01:39","slug":"part-9-dads-final-stock-transfer-made-me-the-one-person-northbridge-needed-and-someone-was-already-waiting-for-me-to-discover-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=10368","title":{"rendered":"PART 9 \u2013 Dad\u2019s Final Stock Transfer Made Me the One Person Northbridge Needed, and Someone Was Already Waiting for Me to Discover It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, I thought Samuel had misread the document.<\/p>\n<p>I took it from him and found my father\u2019s signature at the bottom.<\/p>\n<p>The handwriting was weaker than it had been a year earlier, but the shape of every letter was familiar.<\/p>\n<p>Above it was mine.<\/p>\n<p>Not my signature.<\/p>\n<p>My name.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Collins.<\/p>\n<p>Transferee.<\/p>\n<p>Sixty-one percent of the voting shares in Collins Industrial Supply.<\/p>\n<p>Effective six days before Dad died.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow can someone transfer stock to me without my signature?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDepending on the corporate structure and the governing agreements, a recipient\u2019s signature isn\u2019t necessarily required for the transfer itself. Your father executed an assignment and directed the corporate records to be updated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWere they?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel examined the accompanying pages.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt appears so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas had gone very quiet.<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Dad planned this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told me he was moving control beyond my reach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat isn\u2019t the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know the percentage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew it was me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His eyes dropped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That explained the house.<\/p>\n<p>Not legally.<\/p>\n<p>Emotionally.<\/p>\n<p>He had accepted Mom\u2019s distribution because he believed Dad had already given me something larger.<\/p>\n<p>Something I didn\u2019t even know existed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou watched me take that wardrobe while you knew Dad had transferred company control to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you let everyone laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t laugh much.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s your defense?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel placed the stock agreement flat on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis transfer may be the most important protection your father created.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAgainst Northbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Northbridge was trying to gain influence through Thomas, your father\u2019s death might have created an opportunity. Shares passing through an estate can become tied up in disputes. A completed lifetime transfer is different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Dad moved control before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo someone Northbridge had no arrangement with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked directly at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas gave a bitter little laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomeone they didn\u2019t even know mattered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sentence hurt for reasons he probably hadn\u2019t intended.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey knew I mattered when they were following me at twenty-three.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face fell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And I did.<\/p>\n<p>The truth was simply ugly.<\/p>\n<p>For years, being underestimated had been the defining feature of my place in the family.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had used that blindness as part of his final defense.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel gathered the documents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to confirm the corporate ledger immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTonight?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He checked his watch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe company\u2019s chief financial officer is still there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou trust him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad trusted a lot of people before this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cWho is the CFO?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I remembered him from Dad\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n<p>Mid-fifties.<\/p>\n<p>Quiet.<\/p>\n<p>He had stood near the back and cried when he thought nobody was watching.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes he know who owns the company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the transfer was recorded correctly, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why didn\u2019t he contact me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is an excellent question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He called.<\/p>\n<p>David answered on the second ring.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel introduced himself, then put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid, I\u2019m here with Margaret Collins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then David said, \u201cFinally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word unsettled me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father told me not to contact you until Samuel confirmed you had received his estate materials.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel and I exchanged a look.<\/p>\n<p>Dad had built another layer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he transfer voting control to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen was it entered?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSix days before he passed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it\u2019s complete?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs far as the company records are concerned, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n<p>He stared at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho else knows?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe board.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many people?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive directors, including your father at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorthbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo formal notice was sent to Northbridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEric Lawson?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another hesitation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEric knows something changed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he contacted me the morning after your father died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My fingers tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether any ownership transfer had occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat corporate ownership was confidential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he expected to be speaking with Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Every eye in the room moved toward my brother.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked miserable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t call him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David continued, \u201cEric contacted me again three days later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA purchase proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My heartbeat changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPurchase of what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCollins Industrial Supply.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas swore under his breath.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel asked, \u201cDid you receive a written offer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David named a figure.<\/p>\n<p>Even knowing what the company was worth, I had to sit back.<\/p>\n<p>It was enormous.<\/p>\n<p>Enough to change every life in our family permanently.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stared at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re serious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel did not look impressed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOr desperate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I asked David, \u201cWhy would they make an offer if they don\u2019t know who controls the shares?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey may have assumed the estate did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if the estate controlled them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey could attempt to negotiate with your mother as surviving spouse, challenge management during probate, or approach other shareholders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Dad removed that possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the signed transfer.<\/p>\n<p>Six days before his death.<\/p>\n<p>He had been racing the clock.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid, did Dad seem afraid?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question surprised everyone.<\/p>\n<p>David answered slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe seemed concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout Northbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout losing control of what he built.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he think Thomas was still helping them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked up sharply.<\/p>\n<p>David went quiet.<\/p>\n<p>I hated the answer before he gave it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David continued carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour father believed confidential information was still leaving the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas turned toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter Dad confronted me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo weeks before he died?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you tell Eric you were done?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said I couldn\u2019t simply walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s attention sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause he had records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPayments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou mean evidence that he paid you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he threatened to expose you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad already knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else was there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas rubbed his face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI gave Northbridge more than pricing information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCustomer lists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel swore quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSupplier terms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInternal forecasts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreliminary acquisition targets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou handed a competitor the company\u2019s strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorthbridge wasn\u2019t a competitor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat were they?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought they were investors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel interrupted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho owns Northbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas shook his head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEric handled everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou never checked?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI checked the corporate filing. It led to another company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShell structure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Dad\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>Northbridge is not the center. It was a doorway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid,\u201d I said into the phone, \u201cwho was trying to buy Collins Industrial Supply?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can send Samuel the offer package.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo that tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words startled me.<\/p>\n<p>Ma\u2019am.<\/p>\n<p>Not Margaret.<\/p>\n<p>Not Richard Collins\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n<p>The controlling shareholder.<\/p>\n<p>I wasn\u2019t ready for it.<\/p>\n<p>I doubted Dad had been ready when he started the company either.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas remained standing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens to me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou may have legal exposure,\u201d Samuel said.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI figured.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not contact Eric Lawson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not delete messages, emails, or documents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo not warn anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEspecially not your mother until we understand her involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My brother looked sick.<\/p>\n<p>Despite everything, I felt sorry for him.<\/p>\n<p>That frightened me.<\/p>\n<p>Sympathy had been the doorway through which my family walked over me for years.<\/p>\n<p>But Dad\u2019s letter hadn\u2019t told me to stop loving them.<\/p>\n<p>It had told me to stop confusing love with surrender.<\/p>\n<p>I picked up the stock agreement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do I need to do tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel considered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeet David. Review the company. Confirm the transfer. Preserve records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Northbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause we need to know who is behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas shifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI might know someone who can help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEric\u2019s assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire Monroe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does she know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen how can she help?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe tried to warn me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe day Dad confronted me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat Eric had never intended to make me an owner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t think that mattered?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was panicking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said Northbridge had been preparing for a Collins acquisition long before I got involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word settled heavily.<\/p>\n<p>If that was true, Thomas hadn\u2019t started this.<\/p>\n<p>He had merely become useful to something already underway.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cDid she say why they wanted Dad\u2019s company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you contact her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas pulled out his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can try.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel stopped him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas put it away.<\/p>\n<p>My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>We all looked at it.<\/p>\n<p>For one irrational second, nobody moved.<\/p>\n<p>Then I answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMargaret Collins?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Male voice.<\/p>\n<p>Calm.<\/p>\n<p>Polished.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy name is Eric Lawson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas went pale.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel immediately gestured for me to keep him talking.<\/p>\n<p>I put the call on speaker without announcing it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand you\u2019ve recently become involved in your father\u2019s business affairs,\u201d Eric said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was sorry to hear about Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI respected him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father didn\u2019t seem to respect Northbridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Eric\u2019s tone barely changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard and I disagreed about several business matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike buying his company?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you\u2019ve seen our offer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to discuss it with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This time the pause was longer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Richard transferred voting control to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas mouthed, How does he know?<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p>According to David, only the board and a few trusted people had that information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did you learn that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes it matter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eric gave a soft laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sound like your father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hated how much that pleased me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll take that as a compliment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was intended as one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo meet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSend everything through Samuel Whitmore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>That landed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve retained Samuel?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard was thorough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had reason to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eric\u2019s voice cooled slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would advise you not to assume everyone around your father was telling him the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho specifically?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d rather discuss that privately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then Eric said, \u201cAsk Samuel why your father\u2019s company was already in negotiations to sell before Thomas ever approached Northbridge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>His expression changed.<\/p>\n<p>Eric continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd ask him who signed the first letter of intent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The call ended.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at Samuel.<\/p>\n<p>He stared at the phone.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas whispered, \u201cWhat is he talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Samuel slowly sat down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I knew him well enough now to recognize the difference between deception and alarm.<\/p>\n<p>He genuinely didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p>Then his computer chimed.<\/p>\n<p>An email from David Mercer.<\/p>\n<p>Northbridge acquisition package.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel opened the first attachment.<\/p>\n<p>The current offer appeared exactly as described.<\/p>\n<p>Then he opened a folder marked PRIOR CORRESPONDENCE.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was a scanned letter dated eighteen months earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Long before Thomas claimed to have joined Northbridge.<\/p>\n<p>Long before Dad discovered the trust discrepancies.<\/p>\n<p>The document expressed preliminary interest in selling a controlling stake in Collins Industrial Supply.<\/p>\n<p>At the bottom was a signature.<\/p>\n<p>Not Dad\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Not Thomas\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Not Mom\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Samuel leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>I read the name aloud.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dad\u2019s trusted chief financial officer had signed the first document that put his company on the path toward Northbridge.<\/p>\n<p>And tomorrow morning, I was supposed to meet him alone at the company.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=10369\">Click here to continue reading: PART 10: I Walked Into Dad\u2019s Company as Its Unknown Owner and Found the Man He Trusted Had Been Keeping Two Different Sets of Records<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For several seconds, I thought Samuel had misread the document. I took it from him and found my father\u2019s signature at the bottom. 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