Chapter 10 - BROTHERS WHO DIDN’T TRUST EACH OTHER
Richard had moved $4.6 million out of Hawthorne Ridge.
Camden did not know.
At least, not according to the recordings.
For the first time, the structure cracked from inside.
Camden had built Northstar.
Richard helped create Hawthorne Ridge.
Evelyn served as nominal trust protector.
But Richard secretly skimmed money into accounts in the Cayman Islands through another company called Redline Strategic.
Claire actually laughed when she saw it.
“What?”
I asked.
“They’re robbing stolen money.”
The absurdity almost made me laugh too.
Almost.
Richard’s lawyer called within an hour asking whether we would consider a confidential settlement.
That told us everything.
Claire said no.
Not yet.
Camden’s team contacted Julia, my divorce attorney, with a different offer.
Very generous.
Too generous.
He would waive claims to several marital properties.
Accept limited spousal distribution.
Return disputed personal items.
Agree to confidentiality.
In exchange:
I would release all claims related to Northstar, Hawthorne Ridge, and historical corporate reimbursements.
I stared at the proposal.
“He’s scared.”
Julia nodded.
“Very.”
“How scared?”
“People do not offer this much unless discovery threatens something bigger.”
There was always something bigger.
I rejected it.
That afternoon, Camden requested one private meeting.
Attorneys present.
I agreed.
He walked into Julia’s conference room looking older.
No tailored confidence.
No sharp smile.
No Lila.
Just exhaustion.
“Vivian.”
“Camden.”
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he said:
“I never wanted this to become war.”
I looked at him.
“You forged my signature.”
He looked away.
“Richard handled some documents.”
“That’s not a denial.”
“I made mistakes.”
“Years of them.”
His jaw tightened.
“You’re going to destroy my family.”
I almost laughed.
“Your family moved company money into fake structures using my dead father’s name.”
“You have hundreds of millions.”
There.
The entitlement beneath everything.
I leaned forward.
“So theft becomes acceptable when the victim is wealthy?”
He flinched.
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Yes, you did.”
Silence.
Then he tried another angle.
“Lila is pregnant.”
“I know.”
“She needs stability.”
“So did our marriage.”
His face tightened.
For the first time, guilt appeared.
Real guilt.
Maybe.
“I did love you.”
Past tense.
I nodded.
“I believe you.”
That surprised him.
“Then why—”
“Because love doesn’t cancel what you did.”
He said nothing.
I continued.
“You loved me and used me. Both can be true.”
His eyes filled.
For one second, I almost reached for him.
Habit.
Then I remembered the hangar laugh.
The fake settlement.
My father’s forged signature.
I kept my hands still.
Camden lowered his voice.
“Richard pushed the board strategy.”
“You agreed.”
“Yes.”
“Evelyn?”
“She knew pieces.”
“Lila?”
“Nothing financial at first.”
“At first?”
He hesitated.
Then said:
“She helped with one transfer.”
My stomach tightened.
“What transfer?”
“From Meridian Hospitality.”
“How much?”
“Six hundred thousand.”
“Did she know where it came from?”
“I told her it was authorized.”
Maybe true.
Maybe not.
Then he looked directly at me.
“There is one thing you don’t know.”
Of course.
“What?”
“Pierce Aero.”
“What about it?”
He swallowed.
“It wasn’t supposed to stay yours.”
Every muscle in my body went still.
“What did you plan?”
He looked ashamed.
“An acquisition.”
“By who?”
“Northstar.”
I almost laughed.
“You planned to use money taken from my companies to buy my aviation company?”
His silence answered.
Then Julia asked:
“Was there already an offer?”
Camden closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
“Submitted?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
My stomach dropped.
One week before the hangar.
The process had already begun.
And according to the offer documents we found an hour later, Northstar intended to buy Pierce Aero at a deliberately depressed valuation.
How?
May you like
By using internal forecasts that had been manipulated to make the company look weaker than it was.
Someone inside Pierce Aero had been helping him.
