Chapter 8 - THE SECRET INSIDE THE ACQUISITION
Rhodes Capital suspended its acquisition discussions with Mercer Financial Systems.
The decision came after its independent diligence team identified unresolved concerns about vendor payments, reported earnings, and the employee hardship reserve.
Julian didn't announce it at our dinner table.
He didn't need to.
The decision became public when Mercer Financial Systems issued a statement confirming that discussions were on hold.
Marcus immediately blamed me.
He called Rebecca's office three times.
Then he sent a message directly to my phone.
I hope you're proud. You've destroyed the company we built.
I stared at it.
For a moment, I remembered the years I'd spent helping him.
The late nights.
The compliance manuals I drafted.
The contracts I reviewed.
The professional opportunities I turned down because Marcus said his company needed me more.
Then I remembered Sarah Collins.
Natalie Price.
The altered documents bearing my name.
I handed the message to Rebecca.
I wasn't going to argue with Marcus through text messages.
The independent review of my retained records had also reached its initial conclusions.
It found no evidence that I'd used the documents for personal financial gain or improperly supplied them to Julian's acquisition team.
The review identified appropriate channels for preserving and submitting relevant materials while maintaining the applicable confidentiality and professional obligations.
It was a relief.
But I knew Marcus would continue searching for a way to discredit me.
Meanwhile, the financial review uncovered another problem.
Mercer Financial Systems had reported revenue from several long-term commercial contracts whose supporting documentation was incomplete or inconsistent.
Some of the counterparties appeared to have connections to entities controlled by Chloe.
If the transactions were not genuine, the company's reported revenue and valuation could have been materially overstated.
The acquisition Marcus had been celebrating at Olivia's wedding suddenly looked very different.
Julian's firm had been evaluating a company whose financial position might not match the picture Marcus had presented.
The implications extended beyond one failed deal.
Investors.
Lenders.
Employees.
Everyone who relied on the company's statements could be affected.
Then Rhodes Capital's independent compliance department discovered evidence suggesting someone inside its diligence process had been sharing confidential review information with an outside party.
An internal inquiry began.
Julian voluntarily stepped back from the Mercer transaction while the board assessed the situation.
I respected him for it.
Our marriage wasn't a reason to abandon proper governance.
It was a reason to be especially careful.
That evening, he came home earlier than usual.
Emma was building a castle from wooden blocks.
Julian sat on the rug beside her and asked whether he could help.
She handed him a small blue block.
"That's the front door."
He placed it carefully.
Then she immediately knocked it over.
"Daddy, wrong door!"
I laughed from the kitchen.
Julian looked at me and smiled.
It was such an ordinary moment.
And after years of being married to Marcus, ordinary happiness felt extraordinary.
Later, Julian told me the independent inquiry had identified a potential source of the information leak.
A senior analyst named Peter Lang had accessed acquisition files unrelated to his assigned responsibilities.
The inquiry was still ongoing, but some of his communications involved a consultant working for Hart Advisory Group.
Chloe's company.
I stared at Julian.
"Was Marcus receiving information about the review?"
"That's being investigated."
Then Julian added something that made my stomach tighten.
"Peter had access to the file containing the disputed compliance approval."
May you like
The same document bearing my false signature.
Someone connected to Chloe may have been monitoring exactly what Rhodes Capital knew and when its investigators discovered it.
