Chapter 6 - THE PRICE OF MY SILENCE
I returned the money.
Or rather, I instructed the care facility to hold it without applying it to my mother's account while Rebecca contacted the foundation's attorney about returning it.
The facility director looked at me as though I had lost my mind.
“Harper, this covers your next payment.”
“I know.”
“You've been worried about the balance for weeks.”
“I know.”
“Then why refuse?”
I stared at the payment confirmation.
Because I knew what would happen if I accepted the money and said nothing.
Vivien would believe she had purchased my silence.
And I would spend the rest of my life wondering whether I had sold my father's name to keep my mother comfortable for another month.
But I couldn't ignore the practical problem.
The director helped me apply for an emergency hardship extension while Rebecca contacted an independent patient-assistance charity.
My mother would not lose her care while I fought a financial battle I hadn't chosen.
That afternoon, Nathaniel Reed called me.
I nearly dropped the phone.
“Miss Jenkins?”
“Yes?”
“This is Nathaniel Reed. Charles gave me your number with your permission to discuss the complaint.”
His voice sounded different outside the restaurant.
Less distracted.
More deliberate.
“I understand Vivien offered you money.”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“That's something you should ask your fiancée.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“She told me you were attempting to extort her.”
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Nathaniel continued.
“Then I reviewed the written complaint. Her version doesn't explain why your father's name appears in several documents connected to one of my companies.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“What documents?”
“Historical investment records.”
I sat down.
Nathaniel explained that Vanguard Systems had received funding through a venture investment vehicle years earlier.
That vehicle had been connected to Silver Swan Holdings.
He had never dealt directly with Jenkins Capital.
But after learning about Calvin's appearance at the Winslow, Nathaniel had asked his finance team to trace the original investors.
The answer concerned him.
“Does your company still have money connected to Silver Swan?”
“Possibly through historical equity interests. We're having independent counsel examine the ownership chain.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because your father deserves accurate answers, and you shouldn't have to rely on someone demanding money in a restaurant to get them.”
I remained cautious.
Nathaniel had spent months watching Vivien mistreat employees without stopping her.
A few correct decisions did not erase that.
But he was finally asking questions.
Then he said something unexpected.
“I've also discovered that Vivien introduced me to a company we're considering acquiring.”
My stomach tightened.
“What company?”
“Aster Analytics.”
The name meant nothing to me.
Nathaniel continued.
“The acquisition is valued at approximately two hundred ten million dollars.”
I stared at the photograph of Samantha Bell.
“Who owns Aster?”
“That's what we're investigating.”
A pause.
Then Nathaniel's voice became serious.
“Our chief strategy officer assured me the ownership structure was clean.”
“Who is your chief strategy officer?”
“Oliver Price.”
I searched the name on my laptop while Nathaniel spoke.
A corporate biography appeared.
Former investment banker.
Technology strategist.
International acquisitions.
Then I reached the bottom.
Before joining Vanguard, Oliver Price had worked as a financial adviser.
One of his former clients was Graham Voss.
I stopped breathing.
“Nathaniel, don't approve that acquisition.”
“Why?”
“Because Oliver Price used to advise Graham Voss.”
Silence.
Then Nathaniel said quietly, “That's the name our internal review flagged this morning.”
My heart hammered.
“What did it find?”
“Graham controls part of Aster through several investment vehicles.”
I stared at the screen.
The man accused by my father had become connected to an enormous acquisition involving Vivien's fiancé.
And Nathaniel was about to pay him millions.
Then Nathaniel said:
“There's something else.”
I gripped the phone.
“Vivien introduced Aster as an independent opportunity.”
“Yes?”
“Our investigators have discovered that she may have an undisclosed financial interest in the seller.”
For the first time, the pieces began forming a picture.
May you like
Vivien hadn't merely been hiding her past from Nathaniel.
She had been trying to turn that past into another fortune.
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