Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO WANTED MY INHERITANCE
Victor Kane invited me to dinner the following evening.
I almost laughed when I received the invitation.
Almost.
Instead, I forwarded it to Alexander.
His response came immediately.
"Don't go alone."
So I didn't.
We arrived at an upscale restaurant overlooking the Hudson.
Victor stood when we entered.
He was handsome in an artificial, polished way.
His smile never reached his eyes.
"Emma Whitmore."
"Victor."
His gaze shifted toward Alexander.
"Mr. Hayes."
Alexander nodded.
Victor gestured toward the table.
"Please."
We sat.
Dinner arrived.
Nobody touched it.
Victor finally leaned back.
"You've learned about the trust."
"Yes."
"And your family."
"Yes."
He smiled.
"You must be disappointed."
"Not as much as you hoped."
His smile disappeared.
"I'll be direct."
"I prefer it."
"When you inherit the trust, you will control Whitmore Industries."
"I know."
"You can sell your voting rights to me."
"No."
He laughed.
"You haven't heard the offer."
"I don't need to."
"One hundred million dollars."
Alexander remained silent.
Victor continued.
"Cash."
I looked at him.
"You'd pay one hundred million for shares worth more than twice that?"
"Because I need control."
"Why?"
Victor's eyes hardened.
"Because your grandfather destroyed my family."
The words stunned me.
He explained.
Decades earlier, Victor's father had been partners with my grandfather.
The partnership ended badly.
My grandfather had taken control of the company.
Victor believed his family had been cheated.
"You want revenge."
"I want what should have been mine."
"Then why involve Logan?"
Victor smiled.
"Because Logan was easy."
My stomach turned.
"Did you arrange the fifty-thousand-dollar theft?"
"No."
He paused.
"But I helped him hide it."
Alexander's voice was cold.
"And you've been helping him ever since."
Victor looked at him.
"You've done your homework."
"We did."
Victor stood.
"Then you know I have enough information to destroy Whitmore Industries."
I stared at him.
"What information?"
He smiled.
"Ask your mother."
He walked away.
I sat frozen.
Alexander reached across the table.
"Don't let him frighten you."
"I'm not frightened."
"You are."
I looked at him.
"Yes."
He squeezed my hand.
"Good."
I blinked.
"Good?"
"Fear keeps you careful."
He leaned closer.
"But don't confuse fear with surrender."
The next morning, Marcus delivered the final piece of evidence.
Victor had been funneling money into Whitmore Industries for years.
He had deliberately kept the company alive while quietly increasing its debt.
His goal was simple.
Wait until my father became desperate.
Force a sale.
Acquire the company cheaply.
Then control the trust through me.
But there was another problem.
The trust had a clause.
If I refused to sell, my voting rights became permanent.
Victor had only three months.
And suddenly I understood why he was desperate.
May you like
My birthday wasn't simply a deadline.
It was his deadline.
