- 5 hours ago
The Emerald Heiress. Completed English dubbed
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Short filmTranscript
00:00my face in front of his entire family his mistress was wearing my mother's necklace
00:05and all i said was does anyone have a pen the blackwell family dining room went silent
00:1132 people sat around the long mahogany table derek's parents his uncles cousins and of course
00:18vanessa hale the woman currently hanging on my husband's arm like a designer accessory
00:23she was wearing the emerald necklace my late mother had left me the one i had kept locked in
00:30my bedroom safe derek blackwell my husband of five years stood at the head of the table with
00:36his jaw clenched did you hear me aurelia i want a divorce sign the papers i stared at the document
00:45in front of me standard terms no alimony no asset division just a clean exit as if five years of
00:52marriage could be erased like a typo she's probably in shock vanessa whispered loud enough for everyone
00:57to hear poor thing where will she even go derek's mother constance sipped her wine without looking
01:04at me it's for the best dear you were never really one of us i had married into the blackwell
01:09family
01:09when i was 22 fresh out of college no family left no connections derek had seemed kind back then
01:16gentle the kind of man who opened doors and remembered your coffee order i didn't know he'd
01:22been sleeping with vanessa for three of our five years together i didn't know his mother had hand
01:27picked vanessa as his real match from the start and they certainly didn't know who i actually was
01:32well derek crossed his arms are you gonna sign or just sit there i picked up the pen the room
01:38collectively held its breath not out of sympathy but anticipation they wanted me gone i signed my name
01:45in smooth unhurried strokes then i set the pen down and looked up at derek i'll have my lawyers
01:51finalize this by morning but the necklace on your girlfriend's neck belongs to me i'd like it back
01:56vanessa's hand flew to the emerald derek gave this to me it's mine now derek gave you something that was
02:03never his to give derek stepped forward his voice dropping don't make a scene aurelia just leave with
02:10whatever dignity you have left dignity i almost laughed i stood straightened my dress and looked
02:18at every single face around that table not one of them would meet my eyes thank you for dinner
02:24constance the roast was dry as always i walked toward the door behind me i heard vanessa giggle
02:31finally i thought she'd never leave then derek's voice low but clear make sure she doesn't take
02:39anything from the house i want her out by midnight i paused at the threshold oh derek one more thing
02:45what you might want to check the financial news tomorrow morning it's going to be a very interesting
02:51day for blackwell industries the door clicked shut behind me and not a single person at that table
02:58understood what i meant
03:10the door clicked shut behind me and not a single person at that table understood what i meant
03:20yet the night air hit my face as i stepped outside the blackwell estate my phone buzzed twelve missed
03:26calls from the same number i called back mrs grayson the voice on the other end was clipped
03:33professional we've been trying to reach you the board is waiting for your final confirmation
03:38it's mr ashford now i corrected and yes proceed with the acquisition understood the blackwell
03:46industries takeover will be finalized at market open shall i notify the press not yet let them enjoy
03:54their last peaceful night i ended the call and stood in the driveway staring at the fleet of luxury
03:59cars parked outside porsches range rovers a bentley my car was parked at the far end a simple black
04:06sedan nothing flashy what the blackwells didn't know was that the nobody orphan they had mocked
04:12for five years was the sole heir to ashford capital the largest private equity firm on the east coast
04:18my father had built it from nothing when my parents died in a plane crash during my senior year of
04:24high
04:24school i had inherited everything the lawyers the board the billions all held in trust until i turned 21
04:31i had chosen to keep it hidden i wanted a normal life a real marriage someone who loved me for
04:38me
04:38not my net worth what a joke that turned out to be i had spent five years cooking dinner attending
04:44constance's insufferable garden parties and smiling while the blackwells treated me like the help
04:49all because i loved derek or rather i loved who i thought he was my phone buzzed again a text
04:57from an unknown
04:58number aurelia it's vanessa derek wanted me to remind you be out by midnight and leave the house keys on
05:07the counter thanks sweetheart i stared at the message then i typed back the house is in my name check
05:15the
05:15deed you have 48 hours to vacate i hit send silenced my phone and drove away tomorrow derek blackwell would
05:24wake up and discover that his wife his boring invisible powerless wife had just bought his
05:30family's entire company and she wasn't feeling merciful
05:39tomorrow derek blackwell would wake up and discover that his wife
05:43his boring invisible powerless wife had just bought his family's entire company
05:49and she wasn't feeling merciful by 9 a.m the next morning it was all over the financial news
05:57ashford capital combelt's hostile takeover of blackwell industries sources confirm new majority
06:04shareholder is former blackwell family member my phone had been ringing non-stop since 6 a.m
06:10i let it ring i was sitting in the corner office on the 40th floor of the ashford capital building
06:15in
06:16manhattan sipping coffee and reviewing the final acquisition documents my assistant leo knocked
06:23twice before entering mrs ashford the blackwell family's attorney has called seven times derek
06:28blackwell himself has called 14 times he paused and constance blackweck is in the lobby she's demanding
06:35to see you i set my coffee down constance is here already she arrived 20 minutes ago security is
06:42holding her at reception i leaned back in my chair send her up leo hesitated are you sure absolutely
06:52i want to see her face five minutes later constance blackwell stepped into my office
06:58she looked immaculate as always chanel suit pearl earrings not a hair out of place but her eyes were
07:04wild darting around the massive corner office as if she had walked into a trap
07:09aurelia her voice was strained what is this some kind of sick joke good morning constance
07:16please sit down she didn't sit you bought our company you the woman who couldn't even pick the
07:24right wine at dinner i always pick the right wine you just never had the palette to appreciate it this
07:32is fraud her face reddened there's no way you have this kind of money who's backing you
07:37who put you up to this i slid a folder across the desk ashford capital founded by my father richard
07:44ashfield current net worth north of 12 billion sole heir me constance opened the folder as she read
07:53the color slowly drained from her face this can't be right it's been verified by three independent
08:00auditors and the sec would you like their numbers her hands trembled she closed the folder and looked
08:06up at me with an expression i had never seen on her face before fear what do you want aurelia
08:11i smiled
08:13i want my mother's necklace back and i want a formal public apology from your family if we refuse
08:20i tilted my head then i'll liquidate blackwell industries by friday every asset every property
08:27every trust fund your family depends on i paused including derrick's conalton script the armrest of
08:34her chair you wouldn't constance you spent five years telling me i was nothing that i should be
08:41grateful your son even looked at me i leaned forward do i look like i'm bluffing the silence that followed
08:49was deafening finally constance stood her composure barely intact i'll speak with the family you have until
08:56five pm today she turned to leave then stopped at the door without looking back she asked quietly did
09:03you ever actually love my son the question caught me off guard i paused then answered honestly more than
09:09he deserved the door closed behind her i echo hailed slowly my calm exterior cracking just slightly then
09:19leo's voice came through the intercom mrs ashfield there's one more visitor he doesn't have an appointment but
09:25he says it's urgent who is it derek blackwell he's on his way up and ma'am leo's voice dropped
09:32he's not
09:33alone he brought vanessa and she's still wearing your mother's necklace
09:44the elevator doors opened and derek walked in like he still owned the world his jaw was set his shoulders
09:50squared every inch of him radiating the arrogance i had once mistaken for confidence vanessa trailed
09:56behind him in a red dress that probably cost more than most people's rent my mother's emerald glittering
10:02against her collarbone like a stolen crown they both stopped cold when they saw the name on my office door
10:08aurelia ashford ceo ashford capital derek's mask tin he recovered shoving his hands into his pockets with
10:15forced casualness so it's true his voice was flat you've been hiding this the entire time i didn't
10:24stand didn't offer them a seat hiding implies i owed you the truth i didn't vanessa clutched derek's arm
10:32her eyes sweeping the corner office the floor to ceiling windows overlooking manhattan the original
10:37basquiat on the wall the quiet unmistakable scent of real power for the first time she looked unsure of
10:43herself derek pulled out a chair without being invited and sat across from me let's cut the
10:48theatrics aurelia you're angry i get it but buying my family's company that's not justice that's revenge
10:58and throwing divorce papers at my face in front of your entire family while your mistress wore my
11:03dead mother's jewelry what was that rowans he flinched good here's what's going to happen derek
11:10i opened a leather portfolio on my desk i now hold 62 of blackwell industries that makes me the
11:17majority shareholder as of this morning i've frozen all executive accounts pending a full financial
11:23audit derek's face went white you froze our accounts your company's accounts they're my company's accounts
11:31now vanessa stepped forward you can't do this derek's family built that company over three generations
11:40and your boyfriend nearly bankrupted it in two years i pulled out a financial report
11:45and placed it on the desk blackwell industries has been hemorrhaging money since derek took over as coo
11:50exposed derivatives positions honorized loans a 12 million dollar marketing expense that traces directly
11:57to a villa in the south of france i looked at vanessa your villa i believe vanessa's mouth opened then
12:03closed derek shot to his feet that's confidential financial data how did you i own the company derek
12:14nothing is confidential from me the room went very still derek stared at me as if seeing me for the
12:20first time not the quiet wife who folded his laundry and tolerated his mother's insults not the woman he had
12:27so easily discarded his voice was hoarse what do you want i already told your mother the necklace
12:34a public apology and i want vanessa out of every property connected to blackwell industries
12:39including the villa vanessa let out a sharp laugh you're delusional derek tell her shut up vanessa
12:48she recorded as if she'd been slapped derek's hands were shaking he pressed them flat against the desk
12:54leaning forward and if i agree to all of that you'll return control of the company
13:02i studied him for a long moment no his face crumbled the company stays with me consider it the alimony
13:10you
13:10didn't think i deserved i closed the portfolio you have until five o'clock after that i begin liquidation
13:17proceedings aurelia derek looked like a man watching his house five years doesn't that mean anything to
13:24you i held his gaze without blinking it meant everything to me derek that's why this hurts you so much
13:33because you're only now realizing it meant nothing to you he had no response i pressed the intercom
13:42leo please escort mr blackwell and his guest to the elevator derek said slowly mechanically he turned
13:47our door this isn't over i smiled for you it was over the moment you handed me that pen the
13:54door closed
13:55i sat in silence for exactly 10 seconds then leo's voice ashford i have an update derek's car is still
14:02in the parking garage but vanessa just got into a separate vehicle a black mercedes it's registered to
14:08someone named roman corsetti my hand froze on the desk roman corsetti the one name in this city i
14:15had spent five years avoiding ems ashford are you all right i let out a slow breath leo pull everything
14:23we have on corsetti holdings every subsidiary every board member every transaction in the last six months
14:29may i ask why because roman corsetti was the only man alive who knew exactly who i was before i
14:34became
14:35aurelia ashford before the inheritance before the walls i had built around myself and if vanessa was
14:41connected to him this wasn't just a messy divorce anymore just do it and leo yes cancel my afternoon
14:49something tells me it's about to get a lot more complicated
14:56by noon leo had assembled a full dossier on corsetti holdings i spread the documents across my desk
15:03scanning each page with the precision of someone defusing a bomb roman corsetti age 34 inherited his
15:10father's mid-tier real estate empire at 26 and tripled its value in under five years on paper he was
15:17a
15:17legitimate businessman commercial developments luxury hotels a philanthropic foundation but
15:23i knew better the corsetti family had deep roots in old money networks that didn't show up on any
15:29balance sheet the kind of connections that could make a corporation vanish overnight or bury a scandal
15:35so deep it would never surface roman and i had history not the kind i ever talked about we had
15:40met seven
15:41years ago before my parents died before i inherited ashford capital before i made the catastrophic
15:46decision to marry derek blackwell i was 20 studying abroad in london and roman was the brooding italian
15:52american who sat in the back of my economics lecture and never took notes but aced every exam we had
15:57been inseparable for one semester then my parents plane went down and i disappeared from everyone's life
16:02including his i never explained never said goodbye just vanished and now vasa hale my ex-husband's
16:09mistress was climbing into his car leo i didn't look up from the file what's vanessa's connection to
16:15corsetti leo pulled up a tablet according to social media vanessa's work briefly as an event
16:21coordinator for corsetti holdings about two years ago there are photos of her at several corsetti
16:26hosted gallus there is also a rumor unconfirmed that she and roman were romantically involved before
16:33she started seeing derek my stomach tightened so vanessa had gone from roman's orbit to derek's bed and
16:39now she was running back the question was why before i could dig deeper my desk phone rang the caller
16:46id
16:46read front desk security ems ashford there's a delivery for you no sender name the security
16:54team has already screened it a box send it up two minutes later leo placed a matte black box on
17:02my desk
17:02no card no label just a small gold clasp i opened it inside besting on black velvet was a single
17:09white
17:10chess piece a queen my blood went cold only one person had ever called me that a private joke from
17:16a london cafe over cheap espresso and a borrowed chess set you always play queen first roman had said
17:22most people protect their queen you use yours as a weapon that's because most people don't understand
17:29power he had laughed a low warm sound i hadn't heard in seven years i closed the box leo where
17:38did
17:38this come from the courier service says it was ordered this morning paid in cash no traceable origin
17:45i placed the chess piece on my desk saying he knew about the blackwell takeover and he was letting me
17:51know in his own insufferably cryptic way that he was watching my phone buzzed a text from an unknown
17:57number kello queen it has been a while guy typed back without hesitation what do you want roman three
18:03dots appeared disappeared appeared again then dinner tonight tonight 8 pm you know the place guy didn't
18:10know the place a small italian restaurant on the lower east side that we used to frequent in the
18:15summers when he visited new york the kind of place with checkered tablecloths and a 70 year old owner who
18:20made pasta by hand every instinct told me to ignore the message but roman corsetti didn't reach out without
18:26reason if nessa was connected to him i needed to know how deep it went and whether the blackwell mess
18:32was bigger than a cheating husband in a stolen necklace i picked up the chess piece turning it
18:37slowly between my fingers then i typed i'll be there at eight don't be late his response was immediate
18:43guy never late you are the one who disappeared guy set the phone down this was no longer just about
18:50derek
18:55the restaurant hadn't changed same bed checkered tablecloths same dim lighting same scent of garlic
19:02and fresh basil heavy in the air even the old owner sal was still there shuffling between tables with a
19:07dish towel over his shoulder i arrived at 7 55 roman was already seated in the back corner our old
19:14table
19:14he looked up the moment i walked in as if he had sensed me before he saw me seven years
19:19had sharpened his
19:20boyish edges were gone replaced by a jaw that could cut glass and eyes so dark they swallowed the
19:25candlelight his suit was charcoal no top relaxed controlled dangerous you're early he said you said
19:32don't be late i sat across from him i'm never late either a ghost of a smile you've changed everyone
19:39changes his gaze moved over my face not like this as if cataloging every difference the aurelia i knew
19:45wouldn't have bought a company just to punish a man the aurelia you knew also wouldn't have married
19:50one who deserved punishing he leaned back studying me fair point sal appeared with a bottle of red wine
19:56the same barolo we used to order he poured two glasses without asking patted roman on the shoulder
20:02and disappeared i didn't touch my glass let's skip the nostalgia why am i here
20:11because you want to know why vanessa hale got into my car this morning that was new the roman i
20:16remembered preferred to circle a topic like a hawk before diving so you know i'm watching i know
20:22everything aurelia i've known where you were for the past five years i knew when you married blackwell
20:30i knew when he started cheating his voice didn't change but something flickered behind his eyes
20:37i knew when you filed the acquisition paperwork three months ago he months he had known for three
20:42months if you knew all of that i said carefully then why didn't you interfere he lifted his glass
20:50because you didn't want me to you made that very clear when you vanished without a word seven years
20:56ago zation landed like a blade between my ribs i held his gaze i had my reasons he drank set
21:03the glass down
21:05i'm sure you did but that's not why we're here tonight then why vanessa came to me this afternoon
21:12with a proposal she wants me to help derek blackwell challenge the takeover she claims the acquisition
21:17was done using insider information and that she has documents to prove it my jaw tightened that's a lie
21:24i know it's a lie the question is who gave her the idea
21:29vanessa isn't smart enough to fabricate a legal strategy on her own someone is coaching her i
21:34thought for a moment derek's lawyers no i had my people check the blackwell legal team is scrambling
21:44they didn't see this coming any more than derek did roman leaned forward lowering his voice there's a
21:50third party involved aurelia someone who wants blackwell industries and they're using vanessa as
21:58a pawn to destabilize your position a chill crawled up my spine who roman reached into his jacket and
22:06placed a single photograph on the table i looked down it was a photo of vanessa at a private dinner
22:12seated next to a silver-haired man in his 60s i recognized him instantly victor hale vanessa's father
22:18and one of the most ruthless corporate raiders on wall street vanessa isn't just derek's mistress
22:23roman said she was planted her father has been eyeing blackwell industries for over a year
22:30the affair the divorce the chaos it was all engineered to weaken the company's value before
22:36a hostile bit i stared at the photograph everything i thought i understood about the last five years
22:42shifted rearranged collapsed and rebuilt itself into something far uglier derek doesn't know
22:48i whispered derek is an idiot roman said flatly but no he doesn't know roman watched me in silence
22:55then spoke again victor hale's bid is set to go through in 72 hours if he succeeds he won't just
23:02take blackwell industries he'll use it as leverage to go after ashford capital's commercial real estate
23:07portfolio my portfolio my father's legacy i set the glass down hard enough to rattle the silverware
23:14then i have 72 hours to destroy him roman's lips curved not quite a smile but close you'll need
23:21help i don't need anyone's help you don't need it he agreed but you'd be a fool to refuse it
23:27we stared at
23:28each other across the table the candlelight flickering between us seven years of silence seven years of
23:34questions neither of us had asked and now sitting across from the only man who had ever truly known
23:39me i realized something terrifying i did it and that was the most dangerous thing of all
23:48i didn't sleep that night by 2 a.m i was in ashford capitol's war room a windowless conference
23:54space on the 41st floor that most employees didn't even know existed screens lined every wall financial
24:00data streamed in real time leo had assembled a small trusted team our chief legal counsel margaret
24:07wu head of acquisitions james alcott and priya sharma our forensic accountant who could trace a dollar
24:12through 17 shell companies i laid out everything roman had told me when i finished the room was silent
24:18margaret spoke first if victor hale files a competing acquisition claim within 72 hours we'll be locked in
24:25a legal battle that could take months during that time a judge could freeze our controlling shares
24:31james added freeze our shares which is exactly what he wants tank the stock price then swoop in with a
24:38lowball offer priya pulled up a screen i've already started tracing vanessa's hale's financial records
24:43she has accounts in three offshore jurisdictions sem the caymans lachenstein and singapore all open
24:50within the last 18 months i noted right around the time she started dating derrick exactly and look
24:57at this zoomed in on a series of wire transfers monthly payments from a trust fund registered to hail
25:03industries routed through two intermediary accounts landing in vanessa's personal account 50 000 a month
25:11margaret leaned forward she was being paid to seduce derrick blackwell the words hung in the air like
25:17smoke i thought about derrick stupid vain unfaithful derrick and felt unexpected pang of something
25:23not sympathy exactly more like the grim recognition that we have both been played
25:28there's more priya switched screen six weeks ago vanessa's made a large withdrawal in two hundred
25:34thousand dollars ian and transferred it to a legal firm kessler and briggs james whistled that's victor
25:40hale's personal attack dog firm they specialize in hostile takeover litigation so the legal challenge
25:49is already in motion i said priya's voice was tight kessler briggs filed a sealed motion yesterday
25:56afternoon i couldn't access the contents but the case number is linked to blackwell industries 72 hours
26:03had been optimistic victor hale was already ahead of us i pressed my palms flat against the table
26:08options margaret didn't hesitate we need to prove that vanessa was acting as an agent of hale
26:15industries when she infiltrated the blackwell family if we can demonstrate that victor
26:21ostrated the affair to manipulate blackwell industries stock price that's securities fraud
26:26it would invalidate any competing bid can we prove it with these financial records it's a strong start
26:34but we need more we need testimony from someone inside hail industries who can confirm victor's
26:40involvement a whistle alarm i murmured or someone with leverage james suggested someone who owes us a
26:46favor sam or who has their own reason to want victor hale taken down my phone buzzed a text from
26:53roman
26:53asterisks breakfast tomorrow i have something you need to see asterisk i stared at the message then looked
26:59at my team keep digging i want every transaction every communication every connection between victor
27:05hale and the blackwell family mapped out by morning as they disperse ems ashford can i ask you something
27:12personal go ahead roman corsetti can you trust him it was the right question the smart question
27:18i don't know i admit it but right now he's the only person outside this room who knows what victor
27:25hale is
27:26planning and he came to me before i came to him leo nodded slowly just be careful corsetti has his
27:33own interests everyone does i thought about the white chess piece still sitting on my desk i know leo
27:40believe me i know
27:45wellman was waiting at the same restaurant same table same burolo already poured you look like you
27:50haven't slept he said as i sat down i haven't talk he slid a manila envelope across the table victor
27:57hale held a private meeting last night with three blackwell industries board members he's offering
28:01them personal buyouts in exchange for voting against your acquisition at the next shareholder meeting
28:05i opened the envelope inside were photographs time stamped high resolution showing victor shaking
28:11hands with board members i recognized how did you get these i have people everywhere aurelia
28:18you know that i studied the photos if these three vote against me combined with the shares hale is
28:25accumulating through shell companies he'll have enough to force a revote on the acquisition
28:30and with a sympathetic judge he could get an injunction within days i close the envelope then
28:35i need to get to these board members before he does jerald foss is a lost cause he's been on
28:40hale's
28:41payroll for years i have the records to prove it diana chu is wavering she's loyal to the blackwell
28:45name but she's terrified of victor and martin kem roman paused martin is the key he holds the swing
28:52vote and he's old coal he won't be bought but he can be convinced if someone he respects makes the
28:57case
28:58who does he respect well men held my gaze your father martin and richard ashford were close friends
29:05he was at your parents funeral a sharp ache bloomed in my chest i pushed it down
29:10i'll meet with martin today roman reached into his jacket and produced i thought you might say that
29:15his private number he's expecting a call from me sem but hearing from you will carry more weight i took
29:23the card our fingers brushed neither of us pulled away immediately why are you helping me roman the
29:29question i've been avoiding what's in this for you he was quiet for a long moment victor hale destroyed a
29:36friend of mine a man named elliot graves ran a development firm in boston planted someone close
29:43to him engineered a scandal gutted his company and bought the remains for pennies roman's voice
29:47was steady but i could hear the steel beneath it elliot killed himself six months later the restaurant
29:53noise faded to a murmur i've been waiting for the right moment to bring victor down roman continued
29:58when i saw what he was doing to blackwell industries and realized you were the one standing
30:03in his way i knew the moment had arrived so i'm a means to an end you're the only person
30:08i've ever
30:09met who's smart enough ruthless enough and well resourced enough to beat him he leaned forward and
30:15you happen to be the one person i couldn't bring myself to forget the words landed somewhere deep in
30:20a place i'd spent seven years trying to wall off i stood tugging the ombre my arm i'll call martin
30:25this
30:25afternoon aurelia i stopped when this is over sim and it will end one way or another you and i
30:33have
30:33a conversation that's seven years overdue i didn't turn around one war at a time roman but as i walked
30:41out into the morning light my heart was beating fast for it martin camp lived in a brownstone on the
30:51upper west side the kind with original crown molding and a library that smelled like pipe tobacco and old
30:56leather he opened the door himself no butler no assistant just a 70 year old man in a cardigan
31:03reading glasses perched on his nose he said my name like he was tasting something bittersweet
31:09aurelia ashford you look just like your mother something cracked inside me i held it together mr kemp
31:16thank you for seeing me he led me to his study gestured to a worn armchair and sat across from
31:22me
31:22a framed photograph on his desk showed him shaking hands with my father at some long ego charity gala
31:29he said without preamble i watched you take over blackwell industries bold move richard would
31:38been proud i'm not sure about that i am he studied me over his glasses your father never did anything
31:45halfway neither it seems do you i pulled out the photographs roman had given me and placed them
31:53on the desk victor hale is coming for my acquisition he's already turned gerald foss and he's working on
32:00diana chew you're the swing vote mr kemp martin looked at the photos his expression didn't change but
32:08his fingers tightened around his teacup victor hale is a snake he said simply i've known that for 30
32:15years then you know what he'll do if he gets control of blackwell industries he'll strip it sell off the
32:21assets and use the proceeds to launch a broader attack including against ashford capital martin set
32:28down his tea you're asking me to vote in your favor at the shareholder meeting i'm asking you to do
32:34what's right he was quiet for a long time the clock on the wall ticked steadily there's something you
32:41should know he said at last victor came to see me two days ago he didn't offer me money he
32:51offered me
32:51something far more personal my pulse quickened what martin reached into a drawer and pulled out a document
32:59he placed it on the desk between us it was a medical report his name was at the top the
33:05diagnosis
33:06line read ever staged the third pancreatic cancer martin said his voice steady victor somehow obtained my
33:14medical records he told me he has connections to an experimental treatment program in switzerland
33:21one that isn't available through normal channels he's using your illness as leverage my blood ran cold
33:28he's offering me extra time with my grandchildren in exchange for my vote martin smiled sadly it's the
33:58the kind that almost works i sat forward mr chem i can get you into that program ashford capital has
34:06a biomedical investment division we fund three of the top oncology research centers in europe
34:12i can make a call today his eyes sharpened don't offer me something just to buy my vote aurelia
34:19that would make you no different from victor i held his gaze
34:23i'm not buying your vote i'm telling you that you have options victor doesn't want you to know
34:28about your vote is yours whatever you decide i'll make that call regardless martin stared at me for
34:36a long moment then he leaned back and let out a breath that seemed to carry the weight of decades
34:42your father once told me that the measure of a person isn't what they do when they have power
34:49it's what they refuse to do he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed
34:57deanna it's martin we need to talk about the shareholder meeting i sat in silence listening as the
35:04tide began to turn the next 48 hours were a controlled demolition martin kemp called diana
35:15chew and whatever he said convinced her to hold her vote with diana locked down victor's path to a
35:21majority collapsed unless he could find another way in he found one at 3 p.m on the second day
35:26kessler and briggs filed an emergency injunction claiming that my acquisition of blackwell industries
35:31had been conducted using material non-public information insider trading the accusation was
35:37absurd every piece of data i'd used was publicly available but the filing triggered an automatic sec
35:42view and until the review was complete my shares would be frozen victor hale didn't need to win the
35:48case the judge granted a temporary restraining order your voting rights are suspended pending
35:53investigation how long could be weeks could be months victor's lawyers are going to drag this out as
36:00long as possible i turned to priya the offshore accounts vanessa's payments tell me you have
36:07everything documented stamus did verified and cross-referenced priya confirmed but it's not enough
36:14for the sec we need direct evidence something on at buix my phone buzzed we need to meet now not
36:24the
36:24restaurant my office thirty minutes later i was in the corsetti holding on park avenue roman's office
36:31was sparse dark wood minimal furniture a wall of windows overlooking the city he was standing when
36:37i walked in his expression grin vented victor filed the injunction i know but that's not why i called you
36:45here he turned a laptop screen toward me one of my people intercepted this an hour it was an audio
36:51recording he pressed play victor hale's voice phil barone crisp and unmistakable the sec filing is
36:58just a delay tactic once ashford shares are frozen we move to phase two i want blackwell industry stock
37:03below twelve dollars by end a week use the singapore account to short the position and make sure vanessa
37:07keeps derrick occupied a second voice male unfamiliar responded what about corsetti he's been seen with the
37:16ashford woman victor laughed roman corsetti is a sentimental fool he thinks he's protecting her
37:20by the time he realizes what's actually happening it'll be too late the recording ended i looked at
37:25roman what does he mean what's actually happening that's what concerns me roman's jaw tightened victor
37:32isn't just going after blackwell industries it's all a smokescreen for what he pulled up a document on
37:39his screen my forensic team found this a subsidiary called orion ventures its sole purpose is to acquire
37:46distressed commercial real estate assets i scanned the filing then i saw it a list of target properties
37:5223 buildings across manhattan boston and dc every single one was owned by ashford capital he's not trying
37:59to take blackwell industries he's trying to bankrupt me blackwell is just the weapon roman nod if he crashes
38:06blackwell stock while your shares are frozen it triggers a margin call on ashford capital's leverage
38:11positions you'd be forced to sell assets at firevale price and orion ventures would be waiting to buy
38:16every building your father ever owned i stood at the window staring out at the city my father had helped
38:22build five years ago i had walked away from my name my fortune my legacy all for a man who
38:29never deserved
38:30me i had walked that dream was dead but my father's legacy wouldn't die with it i turned back to
38:36roman
38:36the recording can it hold up in court it was obtained through surveillance not a wiretap warrant
38:45admissibility is questionable hold out my phone then we don't take it to court
38:49we take it to the sec directly combined with priya's financial trail it's enough to trigger a full
38:54investigation into hail industries victor won't be able to execute his plan if his own assets are frozen
39:00you want to use his own tactic against him he taught me a valuable lesson you don't need to win
39:06the war
39:07you just need to make sure your enemy can't fight for the first time roman smiled a real smile not
39:13the
39:13guarded half curve i'd seen before there she is he murmured the queen i remember ignored the way my pulse
39:18stuttered call your lawyer we file tomorrow morning he picked up his phone already done
39:24one more thing what derek called me an hour ago he knows about victor's plan he wants to meet with
39:33derek called you he's desperate vanessa cleaned out his personal accounts this morning and disappeared
39:39he's broke humiliated and finally starting to understand what happened to him i thought about
39:44the man who had thrown divorce papers at my face three days ago and will you
39:49tell him i'll think about it i picked up my coat that depends on whether he's ready to do exactly
39:54what i tell him
39:59derek blackwell showed up at ashford capital the next morning looking like a man who hadn't slept
40:04showered or eaten in days his suit was wrinkled his eyes were bloodshot the arrogant tilt of his chin
40:12was gone replaced by something i had never once seen on his face humility leo escorted him to my office
40:18i didn't offer him a seat this time either but he didn't try to take one he just stood in
40:25front of
40:25my desk hands at his sides aurelia his voice cracked on my name i know i don't deserve to be
40:32here you're
40:32right you don't sit down he sat
40:42vanessa's gone he said she emptied my accounts personal savings the joint account even the emergency
40:48fund my mother set up three hundred thousand dollars gone overnight i know his head snapped up
40:55you know i know everything derek i've known about vanessa's real identity for two days now
41:02i opened a folder and placed it in front of him vanessa halio daughter of victor hale
41:09ceo of hale industries she was planted in your life to destabilize blackwell industries
41:15so her father could execute a hostile takeover derek read the documents with each page the color
41:21drained further from his face the affair the divorce it was all injured yes he looked up at me and
41:30for the
41:30first time in five years i saw the man i had once married not the arrogant heir not the unfaithful
41:36husband just a lost broken person who had been used why are you showing me this because i need your
41:43help he blinked my help after everything i did to you victor hale filed an ssc complaint to freeze my
41:53shares if i can't vote at the shareholder meeting he wins but there's one thing he didn't account for
42:00what you you still hold eight percent of blackwell industries through your personal trust
42:06it's the one asset vanessa couldn't touch because it's locked in a generational trust with a morality
42:11clause derek stared you want me to vote with you i want you to stand up in front of the
42:17board
42:17tell them exactly what happened and vote to ratify my acquisition your testimony combined with the evidence
42:23my team has assembled will be enough to lift the injunction and destroy victor's case and if i do
42:29this victor will come after me victor is going to come after you regardless derek he used you he
42:38doesn't need you anymore the only question is whether you go down as his puppet or stand up as someone
42:45who
42:45fought back the silence stretched and then derek did something i never expected he laughed a hollow
42:53bitter sound you know what's funny my mother always said you weren't good enough for me that you had no
43:00ambition no vision she said vanessa was better he met my eyes and now now i'm sitting in your office
43:08in your building asking for your help and you're the only person in the world willing to give it to
43:14me
43:14i didn't feel satisfaction i didn't feel vindication i just felt tired the shareholder meeting is in 36
43:21hours i said my legal team will prepare your statement you'll need to review it tonight he stood
43:29i'll do it aurelia what i'm sorry not because i need something from you
43:38because i should have said it a long time ago
43:40i held his gaze for a moment then nodded once and now he left leo appeared in the doorway
43:49do you believe him it doesn't matter if i believe him it matters if the board does
43:54my phone buzzed roman victor knows about the sec filing he is accelerating the shareholder meeting may
44:02be moved up i typed back how soon tomorrow 9 a.m 36 hours had just become 12.
44:14i didn't panic panic was a luxury i couldn't afford by midnight my war room was fully operational
44:22margaret had derek's testimony drafted priya had the financial evidence packaged into a presentation that
44:28even a first year law student could follow james had contacted every friendly shareholder to confirm
44:33their attendance roman arrived at 1am with two cups of coffee and a flash drive what's on it i asked
44:41victor's communications with gerald foss going back 18 months emails text recorded phone calls my people
44:47attained them through foss's former assistant she quit last month and was more than happy to cooperate i
44:51was plugged in the drive the contents were devastating victor had been coordinating with foss to inflate
44:57and then crash blackwell industries stock timing the manipulation to coincide with keyboard decisions
45:03this is securities fraud margaret said reading over my shoulder clear documented undeniable securities
45:11fraud it's enough to get foss removed from the board and potentially arrested priya added which
45:18means his vote is invalidated i turned to roman if foss's vote is thrown out and derek votes with us
45:25you have a super majority the acquisition is locked victor can't touch it for the first time in days i
45:33felt something loosen in my chest but roman's expression remained guarded there's a complication of
45:39course there was victor filed a motion to have the meeting held at a neutral location
45:44the hail industries conference center in midtown the judge approved it an hour ago james swore under
45:50his breath he wants us on his turf it's a power play roman said he wants to intimidate the board
45:57members
45:58surround them with his people his security his atmosphere i stood pacing the length of the room
46:05then we show up with something he doesn't expect which is i looked at roman everything we walk in with
46:12financial evidence derrick's testimony foss's communications and the audio recording we don't
46:17hold anything back we put it all on the table and let the board decide the recording may not be
46:22admissible
46:23in court this isn't court it's a shareholder meeting the rules of evidence don't apply we just need the
46:30board to hear victor hale in his own words admitting to mark manipulation roman considered this then he nodded
46:36slowly it's aggressive victor hale planted a woman in my husband's bed to steal my father's legacy
46:44aggressive is the least of what i'm going to be the room was quiet then margaret smiled
46:49i'll have everything ready by 7 am priya james i want backup copies of every document on encrypted
46:58drives if anything happens to the originals we don't lose a thing and me roman asked i met his eyes
47:05you'll be there front row i want victor to see you and know exactly whose side you're on something
47:11passed between us unspoken electric and entirely too complicated for a night like this front row it is
47:19he said quietly everyone filed out roman lingered aurelia roman if you're about to give me a
47:29motivational speech i was gonna say you have coffee on your sleeve i looked down he was right for the
47:36first time in days i laughed he smiled that rare real smile and something in the room shifted the air
47:44felt lighter or warmer get some sleep he said tomorrow you end this tomorrow we end this he held my
47:54gaze
47:54for one heartbeat two three then he left and i sat alone in the war room surrounded by evidence of
48:02betrayal and greed and allowed myself just for a moment to feel something other than fury hope
48:11the hail industries conference center was a monument to intimidation marble floors 40-foot ceilings
48:18security personnel stationed at efrig entrance victor hail had designed this building to make
48:23everyone who entered feel small i walked through the front doors at 8 45 a.m with margaret leo and
48:30priya flanking me disharik arrived separately escorted by two of my security personnel roman was already inside
48:37seated in the front row of the observation gallery exactly as promised he wore a black suit and an
48:44expression of perfect calm victor hail sat at the head of the conference table like a king on his throne
48:50silver-haired sharp-eyed impeccably dressed he looked at me the way a cat looks at a mouse
48:57ems ashford his voice was smooth practice how kind of you to join us mr hale lovely building
49:04compensating for something a few board members coughed to hide their reactions the meeting was
49:10called to order the chair a neutral attorney appointed by the court outlined the agenda first
49:16item ratification of the ashford capital acquisition of blackwell industries victor's attorney a razor-thin
49:23man from kessler and briggs stood immediately before we proceed we'd like to enter into the record
49:29our formal objection to this acquisition on the grounds of if i may i interrupted standing
49:36before mr hale's attorney launches into what i'm sure is a very expensive objection
49:41i'd like to present some materials to the board the chair looked between us
49:45ems ashford this is somewhat irregular so is using your daughter as a honeypot to destroy a publicly traded
49:52company but here we are the room went dead silent victor's smile didn't waver but his eyes went flat
49:59cold like a shark's i nodded to priya who distributed folders to every board member
50:06inside you'll find documentation of a coordinated scheme by victor hale to manipulate the stock price
50:12of blackwell industries the scheme involved planting his daughter vanessa hale as an agent to
50:18infiltrate the blackwell family destabilize the company's leadership and create conditions for a
50:24hostile takeover i walked the board through every piece of evidence the offshore accounts the monthly
50:30payments the connection to kessler and briggs the orion ventures subsidiary the target list of ashford
50:37capital properties the board members faces shifted from skepticism to shock to barely concealed outrage
50:43then i played the audio recording victor's own voice filled the conference room every word every
50:50instruction every casual reference to treating people's lives like chess pieces when it ended the
50:57silence was suffocating victor hale stood slowly his composure was cracking not visibly not to anyone who
51:04didn't know what to look for but i saw the micro tremor in his right hand the slight flare of
51:09his nostrils
51:11this this recording was obtained illegally he said it's inadmissible this isn't a courtroom mr hale
51:19the chair's voice was firm and the financial documents corroborating the recording are more than
51:26sufficient i turned to derek mr blackwell derek stood he was pale but steady he looked at the board the
51:35people who had watched him grow up who had sat at his family's dinner table who had trusted his father
51:42everything miss ashford has presented is true said i was manipulated by vanessa hale
51:49at her father's direction i take full responsibility for my failure to see it and i am formally casting my
51:57eight percent share in support of ashford capital's acquisition gerald foss shot to his feet this is
52:03absurd you can't just mr foss i turned to him with a calm smile would you like me to share
52:12your
52:12communications with victor hale as well because i have 18 months of emails that suggest you've been acting
52:20as his inside man foss's mouth opened he sat down without another word the chair called for a vote
52:27one by one the board members voted martin kemp in favor deanna chu in favor derek blackwell in favor
52:35when the final count was read the acquisition was ratified by a super majority victor hale sat motionless
52:42his empire his scheme his carefully constructed house of cards had collapsed in under an hour i gathered
52:50my documents buttoned my jacket and paused beside his chair on my way out mr hale a piece of advice
52:57from
52:57one ceo to another he didn't look at me never underestimate a woman you tried to rob you don't
53:03just fight back i leaned in close enough to whisper we take everything i walked out of the conference room
53:12and into the morning light roman was waiting by the elevator he didn't say anything he just fell
53:17into step beside me we rode the elevator down in silence when the doors opened to the lobby i stopped
53:25roman yes that conversation you mentioned the one that's seven years overdue he turned to face me his
53:33dark eyes unreadable i'm ready to have it now and for the first time since this all began the look
53:40on his
53:40face wasn't guarded or strategic or careful it was just hopeful
53:48we went back to sale's restaurant it was 11 a.m on a tuesday the place was nearly empty sale
53:55took one
53:55look at us brought out two espressos and a chessboard and disappeared into the kitchen roman sat across
54:01from me his jacket off sleeves rolled to his forearms without the armor of a boardroom he looked younger
54:07almost like the man i'd known in london almost seven years he said seven years i echoed you left without
54:15a word one day you were there the next gone no call no letter nothing my parents had just died
54:24roman
54:25i inherited a 12 billion dollar company i didn't know existed in a legacy i wasn't prepared to carry
54:31i was 20 years old and the lawyers told me that anyone close to me could become a target so
54:38you
54:38pushed everyone away i pushed you away there's a difference you could have told me and what would
54:45you have done dropped everything followed me into a world of corporate warfare and billion dollar decisions
54:52you had your own family your own empire to build i would have been there aurelia
55:00that's what i would have done the simplicity of it broke something inside me i wrapped my hands around
55:06the espresso cup i made a choice i chose to disappear to build walls to handle everything alone
55:15and then i married derek because i wanted to feel normal i wanted someone who didn't know about the
55:21money the name the weight of it and instead you got someone who didn't know you at all yes roman
55:30reached across the table your move he said i moved the queen first he smiled aurelia i'm not going to
55:38pretend the last seven years didn't happen you hurt me deeply and i spent a long time being angry about
55:46it i know but i also spent that time building something corsetti holdings isn't just real estate
55:54anymore we have security divisions intelligence networks legal teams that rival any firm in the
56:01country i built all of it and some part of me built it because i knew i knew that one
56:08day you'd need
56:10someone in your corner who couldn't be bought threatened or broken i stared at the board my throat was
56:17tight that's either the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me or the most terrifying
56:26it's both i lived upon he moved a knight what happens now i asked now victor hale faces an sec
56:36investigation potential criminal charges and the complete dismantling of his scheme vain sai will
56:43surface eventually probably in a country without an extradition treaty derek will spend the rest of
56:48his life trying to rebuild a reputation that may be beyond saving i meant with us
56:53roman's hand paused over the board i know what you meant he looked at me really looked at me and
57:00i
57:00saw everything he'd been holding back seven years of waiting seven years of watching from a distance
57:05seven years of building an empire partly just to be worthy of standing next to me i'm not proposing
57:11anything aurelia not tonight you just finished a war you need time to breathe i've been holding my breath
57:19for five years i'm done waiting to breathe something shifted in his eyes the guarded wall came down not
57:28all at once but enough enough for me to see the man behind the strategy the silence the chess moves
57:34then let's start with dinner he said a real one not a strategy session not an intelligence briefing
57:43just two people who spent too long pretending they don't need each other tomorrow night
57:50tonight his voice was soft i've waited long enough i looked at the chessboard between us then i reached
57:56over and tipped my king you're conceding he raised an eyebrow no i smiled i'm clearing the board we don't
58:04need a game between us anymore he held my gaze then slowly he reached across the table and took my
58:11hand his grip was warm steady real outside the city hummed with its relentless rhythm deals being made
58:19empires rising and falling people chasing power they'd never quite catch but in a tiny italian
58:25astraunt on the lower east side two people who had spent seven years running from each other
58:30finally stopped and for the first time in longer than i could remember i didn't feel like a queen
58:35or a ceo or someone's ex-wife i just felt like aurelia and that was enough
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