Chapter 6 - THE SIGNATURE WORTH EIGHTY MILLION DOLLARS
By sunrise the next morning, Noah had found seven documents carrying his forged signature.
Seven.
Loan approvals.
Property purchases.
Development agreements.
One eighty-million-dollar credit facility.
Every document claimed Noah had reviewed and approved it.
Some had been signed on dates when he wasn't even in North Carolina.
“Where were you?”
Emily sat across from him at Rose's kitchen table.
Noah opened his calendar.
Toronto.
One signature had supposedly been made while he attended an architecture conference in Canada.
Another appeared while he was in Seattle.
A third had been signed three days after hand surgery made writing almost impossible.
Rose looked furious.
“That isn't carelessness.”
Noah nodded.
Fraud.
At 8:00, Thomas Blake arrived.
The gray-haired board member looked ten years older than he had the day before.
“I should have said something years ago.”
Noah's expression remained cold.
Thomas sat down.
“Your father told the board you preferred not to attend meetings because communication was difficult.”
Noah laughed without humor.
He signed.
I asked for interpreters.
Thomas lowered his eyes.
“I know that now.”
Noah's hands became sharper.
I asked for transcripts.
“I know.”
Captioned video calls.
“Yes.”
Access to written materials before meetings.
“Yes.”
And he told you I wasn't interested?
Thomas nodded.
Emily felt her stomach twist.
Richard hadn't simply failed to communicate with his son.
He had built an entire story around Noah's silence.
Thomas placed a folder on the table.
“This is why I'm here.”
Inside were board minutes from six years earlier.
According to the record, Noah had voluntarily declined a board seat.
Noah stared at the page.
Then he pulled out his phone and found an email from the same date.
His email to Richard.
I WANT THE BOARD SEAT MOM INTENDED FOR ME. PLEASE PROVIDE AN ASL INTERPRETER FOR MEETINGS.
Richard's reply contained only six words.
WE'LL DISCUSS IT WHEN YOU'RE READY.
Emily whispered, “You were ready.”
Noah looked at her.
I was always ready.
Thomas swallowed.
“The board meets tomorrow morning.”
Noah straightened.
“With your shares, you can demand a vote.”
On what? Emily signed.
Noah didn't answer immediately.
Thomas did.
“On removing Richard as chairman.”
The room fell silent.
Then Thomas opened one final file.
“There's something Noah needs to know before he does that.”
Inside was an email from Eleanor Whitmore, sent eleven days before she died.
It had been addressed to Thomas.
One sentence was highlighted:
IF RICHARD EVER USES NOAH'S DEAFNESS TO DENY HIM HIS RIGHTS, RELEASE THE RECORDING.
Noah stared.
“What recording?” Emily asked.
Thomas looked ashamed.
May you like
“A video Eleanor made in secret.”
And for six years, Thomas had been too afraid of Richard to let Noah see it.
