Chapter 3 - MY SISTER’S SECRET PARTNER
Madison was released that evening.
My parents were not.
Their attorney argued that Madison had not physically broken anything.
The cameras showed her pouring sauce over equipment, but apparently she had claimed she thought it was “already damaged.”
I almost admired the stupidity.
Almost.
At 9:14 p.m., I drove to her apartment.
Evan told me not to.
I went anyway.
I did not go alone.
Lena sat in the car downstairs with the engine running, and Evan knew exactly where I was.
Madison opened the door wearing silk pajamas.
She looked exhausted.
For once, she wasn’t wearing makeup.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“You accessed Sterling’s acquisition file.”
Her face went blank.
Not surprised.
Blank.
That told me everything.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You logged in at one seventeen yesterday morning.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Then someone inside this apartment did.”
Her eyes flicked toward the hallway.
Tiny movement.
But I saw it.
“Who’s here?”
“Nobody.”
I stepped forward.
She blocked me.
That was new.
Madison had spent her entire life assuming I would clean up whatever came next.
Now she looked afraid of me seeing something.
Or someone.
“Move.”
“Claire, go home.”
“My kitchen doesn’t exist anymore.”
Her mouth tightened.
“I didn’t know they were going to do that much.”
I stared at her.
“So you did know.”
She closed her eyes.
“Mom said they were going to damage enough equipment to make you reconsider.”
“With crowbars?”
“I thought they’d break a fridge!”
“You poured sauce over my electrical prep stations.”
“I was angry.”
“You were committing insurance fraud.”
Her head snapped toward me.
“I wasn’t.”
“That’s exactly what Mom thought she was doing.”
“No.”
Madison’s voice changed.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
She looked over her shoulder again.
Then whispered:
“The lender wasn’t supposed to come after me.”
I stared.
“You borrowed nearly a million dollars.”
“I know.”
“What exactly did you expect?”
“I had a guarantor.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
Madison started crying.
Real tears this time.
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know who guaranteed your loan?”
“I thought Dad handled it.”
That sentence landed badly.
“What did Dad guarantee?”
She stepped backward.
I followed.
On her dining table sat a black leather folder.
I saw the top page before she grabbed it.
BENNETT & BLOOM HOLDINGS LLC.
My company name.
I snatched it.
“Claire!”
I opened the folder.
There was my company information.
My tax identification number.
My old office address.
A security agreement.
And a signature.
Mine.
Except I had never signed it.
The room went silent.
My younger sister had used a forged document to pledge my company as collateral against her private loan.
For nearly one million dollars.
I looked at her.
“You forged my signature.”
“No.”
“Madison.”
“I swear.”
“Then who did?”
A door opened behind me.
A man walked out of her bedroom.
Mid-forties.
Perfect suit.
No tie.
Calm enough to terrify me.
I recognized him from an industry charity gala.
Victor Hale.
Senior vice president at Sterling Hospitality.
One of the eight people who knew about my acquisition.
Madison whispered:
“Claire, please.”
Victor smiled.
“Ms. Bennett.”
I turned slowly.
“You accessed my file.”
He didn’t deny it.
“You’re trespassing.”
“Call the police.”
His smile widened.
“You may want to read the rest of that folder first.”
I looked down.
Behind the forged security agreement was another document.
A letter of intent.
Victor leaned against the wall.
“Your sister’s debt was never the real target.”
I scanned the page.
Then stopped.
The lender had an option.
If the debt defaulted, it could attempt to seize control of any pledged Bennett & Bloom assets.
Victor spoke softly.
“Someone wanted your company before Sterling could buy it.”
My hands went cold.
“Who?”
He looked at Madison.
Madison looked at the floor.
May you like
Then Victor said:
“Your father.”
