Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Panic
Richard’s panic was not merely about a ruined wedding; it was about financial survival.
At 6:00 PM, my private secure line rang. It was Richard. I put it on speaker so Marcus could monitor the conversation.
"Margaret," Richard said, his voice stripped of all its previous arrogant polish. He sounded like a cornered animal. "I am begging you. As a parent. You are destroying my daughter."
"Your daughter banned me from my son's wedding because I have calluses on my hands, Richard," I replied coldly. "I am simply honoring her request to absent myself. The estate just went with me."
"Margaret, listen to me," Richard hissed, dropping the facade. "I need that venue. I told the investors that Highridge Lodge was part of my family's new asset portfolio. The merger I'm trying to close this weekend relies on the optics of this wedding. If you don't open those gates, my firm will default on its bridge loans by Monday. I will be ruined."
I leaned back in my leather chair. The pieces finally clicked into place.
Chloe didn't just want an elegant aesthetic. She and her father were using my son, my estate, and my wealth to prop up a failing empire. They were "old money" in name only; their actual bank accounts were running on fumes and credit.
"You lied to my son," I stated, the anger finally breaking through my icy exterior. "You used him to get to my property."
"It’s business, Margaret!" Richard pleaded. "Open the gates, let the wedding happen, and I'll cut you in on the merger. Ten percent. Just let me save face."
"I don't need your ten percent, Richard," I said. "And I don't do business with parasites."
I hung up. Marcus looked at me, his eyebrows raised.
May you like
"Well," Marcus said softly. "That changes things. If Julian marries her, he inherits her family's debt. By Colorado law, depending on how they structure their finances, they could bleed him dry."
"They won't get a dime," I vowed. "We are going to burn this charade to the ground."
