Chapter 10 - THE MAN SHE PLANNED TO BURY
Victoria’s plan was almost elegant.
That made it worse.
If Dominic were indicted for the old Kessler fraud, board authority would temporarily transfer to a secondary control committee.
Two members of that committee were loyal to Charles Vale.
The committee could approve the Argent Harbor transfer.
Dominic would become the public face of a scandal created before he was old enough to sign a contract.
Victoria would walk away with more than two hundred million dollars.
And the altered translation would make him look guilty.
“She chose tonight because of my article,” I said.
Dominic nodded.
“She thought you knew more than you did.”
“So she requested my table to see how much I understood.”
“And humiliate you if you spoke.”
I remembered her voice.
Illiterate servant.
It had not only been cruelty.
It had been strategy.
If I later accused Victoria of hiding a fraudulent legal translation, she could describe me as an angry waitress seeking revenge after a public argument.
She had been building my lack of credibility before I even understood the game.
Then Dominic’s attorney arrived.
He brought worse news.
A sealed federal complaint was expected within forty-eight hours.
Someone had anonymously delivered documents showing Dominic personally approved the Kessler ownership structure.
The signature appeared genuine.
Dominic studied the copy.
“I never signed this.”
His attorney frowned.
“It looks like your signature.”
I leaned closer.
The document was dated twelve years earlier.
Then something caught my attention.
The translation clause used a legal phrase I had only seen in one later academic edition.
That edition was published nine years ago.
Three years after Dominic supposedly signed the document.
“This is impossible.”
Everyone looked at me.
I pointed to the phrase.
“Whoever forged this copied language from a translation that didn’t exist yet.”
Dominic’s attorney stared at me.
“Can you prove that?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“My department owns one of the first printed editions.”
Dominic looked almost relieved.
But then his phone rang.
One of his men answered from the other side of the room.
His face changed.
“What?”
He handed Dominic the phone.
Dominic listened.
Then said nothing for several seconds.
Finally, he looked at me.
“Charles Vale just landed in New York.”
“Why?”
Dominic’s expression became cold.
“Because Victoria is holding a gala tomorrow night.”
“For what?”
May you like
He gave a humorless smile.
“To announce that I’m stepping down.”
