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The Emerald Heiress Premium Quality EN
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00:00my face in front of his entire family his mistress was wearing my mother's necklace
00:04and 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 his jaw
00:37clenched did you hear me aurelia i want a divorce sign the papers i stared at the document in front
00:45of me standard terms no alimony no asset division just a clean exit as if five years of marriage
00:52could be erased like a typo she's probably in shock vanessa whispered loud enough for everyone to hear
00:57poor thing where will she even go derek's mother constance sipped her wine without looking at me
01:04it's for the best dear you were never really one of us i had married into the blackwell family when
01:09i
01:09was 22. fresh out of college no family left no connections derek had seemed kind back then gentle
01:17the kind of man who opened doors and remembered your coffee order i didn't know he'd been sleeping
01:22with vanessa for three of our five years together i didn't know his mother had handpicked vanessa as
01:28his real match from the start and they certainly didn't know who i actually was well derek crossed
01:33his arms are you gonna sign or just sit there i picked up the pen the room collectively held its
01:39breath not out of sympathy but anticipation they wanted me gone i signed my name in smooth unhurried
01:47strokes then i set the pen down and looked up at derek i'll have my lawyers finalize this by morning
01:52but the necklace on your girlfriend's neck belongs to me i'd like it back vanessa's hand flew to the
01:58emerald derek gave this to me it's mine now derek gave you something that was never his to give
02:04derek stepped forward his voice dropping don't make a scene aurelia just leave with whatever dignity
02:10you have left dignity i almost laughed i stood straightened my dress and looked at every single
02:18face around that table not one of them would meet my eyes thank you for dinner constance the roast was
02:26dry as always i walked toward the door behind me i heard vanessa giggle finally i thought she'd never
02:34leave then derek's voice low but clear make sure she doesn't take anything from the house i want her
02:40out by midnight i paused at the threshold oh derek one more thing what you might want to check the
02:48financial news tomorrow morning it's going to be a very interesting day for blackwell industries
02:52the door clicked shut behind me and not a single person at that table understood what i meant
03:17the night air hit my face as i stepped outside the blackwell estate my phone buzzed 12 missed calls
03:27from the same number i called back mrs grayson the voice on the other end was clipped professional
03:34we've been trying to reach you the board is waiting for your final confirmation it's mr ashford now i
03:41corrected and yes proceed with the acquisition understood the blackwell industries takeover will
03:47be finalized at market open shall i notify the press not yet let them enjoy their last peaceful night
03:55i ended the call and stood in the driveway staring at the fleet of luxury cars parked outside porsches
04:01range rovers a bentley my car was parked at the far end a simple black sedan nothing flashy what the
04:09blackwells didn't know was that the nobody orphan they had mocked for five years was the sole heir to
04:14ashford capital the largest private equity firm on the east coast my father had built it from nothing
04:20when my parents died in a plane crash during my senior year of high school i had inherited everything
04:26the lawyers the board the billions all held in trust until i turned 21 i had chosen to keep it
04:33hidden
04:33i wanted a normal life a real marriage someone who loved me for me not my net worth what a
04:40joke that
04:40turned out to be i had spent five years cooking dinner attending constance's insufferable garden parties
04:46and smiling while the blackwells treated me like the help all because i loved derek or rather i loved
04:53who i thought he was my phone buzzed again a text from an unknown number aurelia it's vanessa derek
05:02wanted me to remind you be out by midnight and leave the house keys on the counter thanks sweetheart
05:10i stared at the message then i typed back the house is in my name check the deed you have
05:1648
05:17hours to vacate i hit send silenced my phone and drove away tomorrow derek blackwell would wake up
05:25and discover that his wife his boring invisible powerless wife had just bought his family's entire
05:31company and she wasn't feeling merciful
05:52by 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
06:03shareholder is former blackwell family member my phone had been ringing non-stop since 6 a.m
06:09i 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 twice
06:23before entering mrs ashford the blackwell family's attorney has called seven times derek blackwell himself
06:29is called 14 times he paused and constance blackweck is in the lobby she's demanding to see you i set
06:36my
06:36coffee down constance is here already she arrived 20 minutes ago security is holding her at reception
06:43i leaned back in my chair send her up leo hesitated are you sure absolutely i want to see her
06:53face five
06:54minutes later constance blackwell stepped into my office she looked immaculate as always chanel suit
07:00pearl earrings not a hair out of place but her eyes were wild darting around the massive corner office
07:06as if she had walked into a trap her voice was strained what is this some kind of sick joke
07:15good
07:15morning constance please sit down she didn't sit you bought our company you the woman who couldn't even
07:24pick the right wine at dinner i always pick the right wine you just never had the palette to
07:30appreciate it this is 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
07:43ashfield current net worth north of 12 billion sole heir me constance opened the folder as she read
07:53the colors 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 and if we refuse
08:19i 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 grateful
08:41your son even looked at me i leaned forward do i look like i'm bluffing the silence that followed was
08:49deafening finally constance stood her composure barely intact i'll speak with the family you have
08:56until 5 p.m today she turned to leave then stopped at the door without looking back she asked quietly
09:02did
09:03you ever actually love my son the question caught me off guard i paused then answered honestly more than he
09:09deserved the door closed behind her i echo hailed slowly my calm exterior cracking just slightly then
09:18leo's voice came through the intercom mrs ashfield there's one more visitor he doesn't have an appointment
09:25but he says it's urgent who is it derek blackwell he's on his way up and ma'am leo's voice
09:32dropped he'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
09:50shoulders squared every inch of him radiating the arrogance i had once mistaken for confidence
09:55vanessa trailed behind him in a red dress that probably cost more than most people's rent
10:00my mother's emerald glittering against her collarbone like a stolen crown they both stopped
10:05cold when they saw the name on my office door aurelia ashford ceo ashford capital derrick's
10:11mask tin he recovered shoving his hands into his pockets with forced casualness
10:19so it's true his voice was flat you've been hiding this the entire time i didn't stand didn't offer them
10:25a seat hiding implies i owed you the truth i didn't vanessa clutched derrick's arm her eyes
10:33sweeping the corner office the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking manhattan the original basquiat
10:38on the wall the quiet unmistakable scent of real power for the first time she looked unsure of herself
10:43derrick pulled out a chair without being invited and sat across from me let's cut the theatrics aurelia
10:49you're angry i get it but buying my family's company that's not justice that's revenge and
10:58throwing divorce papers at my face in front of your entire family while your mistress wore my dead
11:03mother's jewelry what was that rowans he flinched good here's what's going to happen derrick i opened
11:11a leather portfolio on my desk i now hold 62 of blackwell industries that makes me the majority shareholder
11:18as of this morning i've frozen all executive accounts pending a full financial audit derrick's
11:24face went white you froze our accounts your company's accounts they're my company's accounts
11:30now vanessa stepped forward you can't do this derrick's family built that company over three
11:38generations and 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 derrick took over
11:50as coo exposed derivatives positions honorized loans a 12 million dollar marketing expense that
11:56traces directly to a villa in the south of france i looked at vanessa your villa i believe vanessa's
12:02mouth opened then closed derrick shot to his feet that's confidential financial data
12:10how did you i own the company derrick nothing is confidential from me the room went very still
12:18derrick stared at me as if seeing me for the first time not the quiet wife who folded his laundry
12:23and
12:23tolerated his mother's insults not the woman he had so easily discarded his voice was hoarse what do you
12:30want i already told your mother the necklace a public apology and i want vanessa out of every property
12:38connected to blackwell industries including the villa vanessa let out a sharp laugh you're delusional
12:45derrick tell her shut up vanessa she recorded as if she'd been slapped derrick's hands were shaking
12:52he pressed them flat against the desk leaning forward and if i agree to all of that you'll return control
13:00of
13:00the company i studied him for a long moment no his face crumbled the company stays with me
13:08consider it the alimony you didn't think i deserved i closed the portfolio you have until
13:13five o'clock after that i begin liquidation proceedings aurelia derrick looked like a man watching
13:20his house five years doesn't that mean anything to you i held his gaze without blinking it meant
13:27everything to me derrick that's why this hurts you so much because you're only now realizing it
13:35meant nothing to you he had no response i pressed the intercom leo please escort mr blackwell and his
13:44guest to the elevator derrick said slowly mechanically he turned a door this isn't over i smiled for you
13:50it was over the moment you handed me that pen the door closed i sat in silence for exactly 10
13:57seconds
13:57then leo's voice returned ashford i have an update derrick's car is still in the parking garage but
14:03vanessa just got into a separate vehicle a black mercedes it's registered to someone named roman
14:09corsetti my hand froze on the desk roman corsetti the one name in this city i had spent five years
14:16avoiding ems ashford are you all right i let out a slow breath leo pull everything we have on corsetti
14:24holdings every subsidiary every board member every transaction in the last six months may i ask why
14:29because roman corsetti was the only man alive who knew exactly who i was before i became aurelia ashford
14:36before the inheritance before the walls i had built around myself and if vanessa was connected to him
14:42this 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
15:17was a legitimate businessman commercial developments luxury hotels a philanthropic foundation but i knew
15:24better the corsetti family had deep roots in old money networks that didn't show up on any balance sheet
15:29the kind of connections that could make a corporation vanish overnight or bury a scandal so deep it would
15:35never surface roman and i had history not the kind i ever talked about we had met seven years ago
15:41before
15:42my parents died before i inherited ashford capital before i made the catastrophic decision to marry
15:47derrick blackwell i was 20 studying abroad in london and roman was the brooding italian american who sat in
15:53the back of my economics lecture and never took notes but aced every exam we had been inseparable for
15:58one semester then my parents plane went down and i disappeared from everyone's life including his i never
16:04explained never said goodbye just vanished and now vasa hale my ex-husband's mistress was climbing into
16:10his car leo i didn't look up from the file what's vanessa's connection to corsetti leo pulled up a
16:17tablet according to social media vanessa's work briefly as an event coordinator for corsetti holdings
16:22about two years ago there are photos of her at several corsetti hosted gallus there is also a rumor
16:29unconfirmed that she and roman were romantically involved before she started seeing derrick
16:35my stomach tightened so vanessa had gone from roman's orbit to derrick's bed and now she was
16:40running back the question was why before i could dig deeper my desk phone rang the caller id read front
16:47desk security ems ashford there's a delivery for you no sender name the security team has already screened it
16:55a box send it up two minutes later leo placed a matte black box on my desk no card no
17:03label just a small
17:05gold clasp i opened it inside besting on black velvet was a single white chess piece a queen my blood
17:11went
17:12cold only one person had ever called me that a private joke from a london cafe over cheap espresso and
17:18and a borrowed chess set you always play queen first roman had said most people protect their queen
17:24you use yours as a weapon that's because most people don't understand power key had laughed a low
17:31warm sound i hadn't heard in seven years i closed the box leo where did this come from the courier
17:39service
17:40says it was ordered this morning paid in cash no traceable origin i placed the chess piece on my desk
17:47sane he knew about the blackwell takeover and he was letting me know in his own insufferably cryptic
17:53way that he was watching my phone buzzed a text from an unknown number hello queen it has been a
17:59while guy typed back without hesitation what do you want roman three dots appeared disappeared
18:04appeared again then dinner tonight tonight 8 pm you know the place guy didn't know the place a small
18:11italian restaurant on the lower east side that we used to frequent in the summers when he visited new
18:16york the kind of place with checkered tablecloths and a 70 year old owner who made pasta by hand
18:21every instinct told me to ignore the message but roman corsetti didn't reach out without reason
18:27if nessa was connected to him i needed to know how deep it went and whether the blackwell mess was
18:32bigger
18:32than a cheating husband in a stolen necklace i picked up the chess piece turning it slowly between my
18:38fingers then i typed i'll be there at eight don't be late his response was immediate guy and never late
18:44you are the one who disappeared guy set the phone down this was no longer just about derrick
18:55the restaurant hadn't changed same bed checkered tablecloths same dim lighting same scent of garlic
19:01and 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
19:19features the boyish edges were gone replaced by a jaw that could cut glass and eyes so dark they
19:25swallowed the candlelight his suit was charcoal no top relaxed controlled dangerous you're early he said
19:31you said don't be late i sat across from him i'm never late either a ghost of a smile you've
19:37changed
19:38everyone changes his gaze moved over my face not like this as if cataloging every difference the
19:44aurelia i knew wouldn't have bought a company just to punish a man the aurelia you knew also wouldn't
19:50have married one who deserved punishing he leaned back studying me fair point sal appeared with a bottle
19:56of good wine the same barolo we used to order he poured two glasses without asking padded roman on the
20:02shoulder and disappeared i didn't touch my glass let's skip the nostalgia why am i here because you
20:11want to know why vanessa hale got into my car this morning that was new the roman i remembered preferred
20:17to circle a topic like a hawk before diving so you know i'm watching i know everything aurelia
20:25i've known where you were for the past five years
20:27years i knew when you married blackwell i knew when he started cheating his voice didn't change
20:33but something flickered behind his eyes i knew when you filed the acquisition paperwork three months
20:39ago three months he had known for three months if you knew all of that i said carefully then why
20:45didn't you interfere he lifted his glass because you didn't want me to you made that very clear when
20:54you vanished without a word seven years ago zation landed like a blade between my ribs i held his
21:00gaze i had my reasons he drank set the glass down i'm sure you did but that's not why we're
21:08here tonight
21:09then why vanessa came to me this afternoon with a proposal she wants me to help derrick blackwell
21:14challenge the takeover she claims the acquisition was done using insider information and that she has
21:20documents to prove it my jaw tightened that's a lie i know it's a lie the question is who gave
21:27her the idea vanessa isn't smart enough to fabricate a legal strategy on her own someone is coaching her
21:34i thought for a moment derrick's lawyers no i had my people check the blackwell legal team is scrambling
21:44they didn't see this coming any more than derrick did roman leaned forward lowering his voice there's
21:50a third party involved aurelia someone who wants blackwell industries and they're using vanessa as a
21:58pawn 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
22:18father and one of the most ruthless corporate raiders on wall street vanessa isn't just derrick's
22:23mistress roman 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 a hostile bid
22:37i stared at the photograph everything i thought i understood about the last five years shifted
22:42rearranged collapsed and rebuilt itself into something far uglier derrick doesn't know i whispered
22:49derrick is an idiot roman said flatly but no he doesn't know roman watched me in silence then spoke
22:56again victor hale's bid is set to go through in 72 hours if he succeeds he won't just take blackwell
23:03industries he'll use it as leverage to go after ashford capital's commercial real estate portfolio
23:08my portfolio my father's legacy i set the glass down hard enough to rattle the silverware then i
23:14have 72 hours to destroy him roman's lips curved not quite a smile but close you'll need help i don't
23:21need anyone's help you don't need it he agreed but you'd be a fool to refuse it we stared at
23:28each
23:28other 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 capital's war room a windowless conference space
23:54on 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
24:25in a 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
24:56and look at this zoomed in on a series of wire transfers monthly payments from a trust fund
25:02registered to hail industries routed through two intermediary accounts landing in vanessa's personal
25:09account 50 000 a month margaret leaned forward she was being paid to seduce derrick blackwell the words
25:16hung in the air like smoke i thought about derrick stupid vain unfaithful derrick and felt unexpected
25:22pang of something not sympathy exactly more like the grim recognition that we have both been played
25:28there's more priya switched screens six weeks ago vanessa's made a large withdrawal in two hundred
25:34thousand dollars in 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
25:48is already in motion i said priya's voice was tight kessler briggs filed a sealed motion yesterday afternoon
25:57i couldn't access the contents but the case number is linked to blackwell industries 72 hours had been
26:03optimistic victor hale was already ahead of us i pressed my palms flat against the table options margaret
26:09didn't hesitate we need to prove that vanessa was acting as an agent of hale industries when she
26:16infiltrated the blackwell family if we can demonstrate that victor austrated the affair to manipulate blackwell
26:23industries stock price that's securities fraud it would invalidate any competing bid can we prove it
26:29with these financial records it's a strong start but we need more we need testimony from someone inside
26:37hale industries who can confirm victor's involvement a whistle or i murmured or someone with leverage james
26:44suggested someone who owes us a favor sam or who has their own reason to want victor hale taken down
26:51my
26:51phone buzzed a text from roman asterisk breakfast tomorrow i have something you need to see asterisk i
26:58stared at the message then looked at my team keep digging i want every transaction every communication
27:03every connection between victor hale and the blackwell family mapped out by morning as they disperse ems
27:09ashford can i ask you something personal go ahead roman corsetti can you trust him it was the right
27:17question the smart question i don't know i admit it but right now he's the only person outside this room
27:24who knows what victor hale is planning and he came to me before i came to him leo nodded slowly
27:31just be
27:31careful corsetti has his own interests everyone does i thought about the white chess piece still sitting
27:37on my desk i know leo believe me i know
27:45wellman was waiting at the same restaurant same table same buolo 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
27:57victor hale held a private meeting last night with three blackwell industries board members
28:00he's offering them personal buyouts in exchange for voting against your acquisition at the next
28:04shareholder meeting i opened the envelope inside were photographs time stamped high resolution showing
28:10victor shaking hands with board members i recognized how did you get these i have people
28:16everywhere aurelia you know that i studied the photos if these three vote against me
28:23combined with the shares hale is accumulating through shell companies he'll have enough to
28:28force a revote on the acquisition and with a sympathetic judge he could get an injunction within
28:33days i close the envelope then i need to get to these board members before he does
28:38gerald foss is a lost cause he's been on hale's payroll for years i have the records to prove it
28:43diana chu is wavering she's loyal to the blackwell name but she's terrified of victor
28:47and martin kemp roman paused martin is the key he holds the swing vote and he's old coal
28:54he won't be bought but he can be convinced if someone he respects makes the case
28:57who does he respect well men held my gaze your father
29:02martin and richard ashford were close friends he was at your parents funeral a sharp ache bloomed in my
29:08chest i pushed it down i'll meet with martin today roman reached into his jacket and produced i thought
29:14you might say that his private number he's expecting a call from me sem but hearing from
29:21you will carry more weight i took the card our fingers brushed neither of us pulled away immediately
29:27why are you helping me roman the question i've been avoiding what's in this for you he was quiet for
29:34a
29:34long moment victor hale destroyed a friend of mine a man named elliot graves ran a development firm in
29:41boston planted someone close to him engineered a scandal gutted his company and bought the remains
29:46for pennies roman's voice was steady but i could hear the steel beneath it elliot killed himself six
29:51months later the restaurant noise faded to a murmur i've been waiting for the right moment to bring
29:56victor down roman continued when i saw what he was doing to blackwell industries and realized you were the
30:02one standing in his way i knew the moment had arrived so i'm a means to an end you're the
30:08only
30:08person i've ever met who's smart enough ruthless enough and well resourced enough to beat him he
30:13leaned forward and you happen to be the one person i couldn't bring myself to forget the words landed
30:19somewhere deep in a place i'd spent seven years trying to wall off i stood tugging the ombar my arm
30:24i'll call martin this afternoon aurelia i stopped when this is over sim and it will end
30:31one way or another you and i have a conversation that's seven years overdue i didn't turn around
30:37one war at a time roman but as i walked out into the morning light my heart was beating fast
30:43forward
30:48to martin camp lived in a brownstone on the upper west side the kind with original crown molding and
30:54a library that smelled like pipe tobacco and old leather he opened the door himself no butler no
31:00assistant just a 70 year old man in a cardigan reading glasses perched on his nose he said my name
31:07like he was tasting something bittersweet aurelia ashford you look just like your mother something
31:13cracked inside me i held it together mr kemp thank you for seeing me he led me to his study
31:19gestured to a worn armchair and sat across from me a framed photograph on his desk showed him shaking
31:26hands with my father at some long ago charity gala he said without preamble i watched you take over
31:33blackwell industries bold move richard would been proud i'm not sure about that i am he studied me
31:43over his glasses your father never did anything halfway neither it seems do you i pulled out the
31:50photographs roman had given me and placed them on the desk victor hale is coming for my acquisition
31:56he's already turned gerald foss and he's working on diana chu you're the swing vote mr kemp
32:04martin looked at the photos his expression didn't change but his fingers tightened around his teacup
32:11victor hale is a snake he said simply i've known that for 30 years then you know what he'll do
32:17if
32:17he gets control of blackwell industries he'll strip it sell off the assets and use the proceeds
32:23to launch a broader attack including against ashford capital martin set down his tea you're asking me to
32:30vote in your favor at the shareholder meeting i'm asking you to do what's right he was quiet for a
32:36long time the clock on the wall ticked steadily there's something you should know he said at last
32:44victor came to see me two days ago he didn't offer me money he offered me something far more personal
32:53my pulse quickened what martin reached into a drawer and pulled out a document he placed it on
33:01the desk between us it was a medical report his name was at the top the diagnosis line read ever
33:07staged the third pancreatic cancer martin said his voice steady victor somehow obtained my medical records
33:15he told me he has connections to an experimental treatment program in switzerland
33:21one that isn't available through switzerland he's offering me pancreatic cancer martin said his voice
33:32steady victor somehow obtained my medical records he told me he has connections to an experimental
33:39treatment program in switzerland one that isn't available through normal channels he's using your
33:45illness as leverage my blood ran cold he's offering me extra time with my grandchildren in exchange for
33:52my vote martin smiled sadly it's the cruelest kind of bribery
33:58the kind that almost works i sat forward mr chem i can get you into that program ashford capital has
34:05a
34:06biomedical 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 i'm not buying your vote i'm telling
34:26you that you have options victor doesn't want you to know about your vote is yours whatever you decide
34:33i'll make that call regardless martin stared at me for a long moment then
34:38he leaned back and let out a breath that seemed to carry the weight of decades your father once told
34:44me that the measure of a person isn't what they do when they have power it's what they refuse to
34:51do
34:51he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed deanna it's martin we need to talk about the shareholder
35:01meeting i sat in silence listening as the tide began to turn
35:10the next 48 hours were a controlled demolition martin kemp called diana chu and whatever he said
35:16convinced her to hold her vote with diana locked down victor's path to a majority collapsed unless
35:22he could find another way in he found one at 3 pm on the second day kessler and briggs filed
35:28an
35:28emergency injunction claiming that my acquisition of blackwell industries had been conducted using
35:32material non-public information insider trading the accusation was absurd every piece of data i'd used
35:39was publicly available but the filing triggered an automatic sec view and until the review was complete
35:44my shares would be frozen victor hale didn't need to win the case the judge granted a temporary restraining
35:50order your voting rights are suspended pending investigation how long could be weeks could be
35:57months victor's lawyers are going to drag this out as long as possible i turned to priya the offshore
36:03accounts vanessa's payments tell me you have everything documented stamus did verified and cross-referenced
36:12priya confirmed but it's not enough for the sec we need direct evidence something on at buix
36:19my phone buzzed we need to meet now not the restaurant my office
36:26thirty minutes later i was in the corsetti holding on park avenue roman's office was sparse dark wood
36:33minimal furniture a wall of windows overlooking the city he was standing when i walked in his
36:38expression grin vented victor filed the injunction i know but that's not why i called you here he turned a
36:46laptop screen toward me one of my people intercepted this an hour it was an audio recording he pressed
36:52play victor hale's voice spilled the room crisp and unmistakable the sec filing is just a delay tactic
36:59once ashford shares are frozen we move to phase two i want blackwell industry stock below twelve dollars
37:04by end a week use the singapore account to short the position and make sure vanessa keeps derrick
37:08occupied a second voice male unfamiliar responded what about corsetti he's been seen with the ashford
37:16woman victor laughed roman corsetti is a sentimental fool he thinks he's protecting her by the time he
37:21realizes what's actually happening he'll be doing recording ended i looked at roman what does he mean
37:27what's actually happening that's what concerns me roman's jaw tightened victor isn't just going after
37:32blackwell industries it's all a smokescreen for what he pulled up a document on his screen my forensic
37:40team found this a subsidiary called orion ventures its sole purpose is to acquire distressed commercial
37:47real estate assets i scanned the filing then i saw it a list of target properties 23 buildings across
37:53manhattan boston and dc every single one was owned by ashford capital he's not trying to take blackwell
37:59industries he's trying to bankrupt me blackwell is just the weapon roman nod if he crashes blackwell's
38:06stock while your shares are frozen it triggers a margin call on ashford capital's leverage positions
38:11you'd be forced to sell assets at firevale price and orion ventures would be waiting to buy every
38:17building your father ever owned i stood at the window staring out at the city my father had helped build
38:22five years ago i had walked away from my name my fortune my legacy all for a man who never
38:29deserved me i had walked that dream was dead but my father's legacy wouldn't die with it i turned
38:36back to roman the recording can it hold up in court it was obtained through surveillance not a wiretap
38:43warrant admissibility is questionable hold out my phone then we don't take it to court we take it to
38:50the sec directly combined with priya's financial trail it's enough to trigger a full investigation into
38:55hail industries victor won't be able to execute his plan if his own assets are frozen you want to use
39:00his own tactic against him he taught me a valuable lesson you don't need to win the war you just
39:08need
39:08to make sure your enemy can't fight for the first time roman smiled a real smile not the guarded half
39:13curve i'd seen before there she is he murmured the queen i remember ignored the way my pulse stuttered
39:19call your lawyer we filed 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
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 tell him i'll think
39:49about it i picked up my coat that depends on whether he's ready to do exactly what 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 was
40:12gone replaced by something i had never once seen on his face humility leo escorted him to my office
40:19i 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
40:31here
40:32you're right you don't sit down he sat
40:41vanessa's gone he said she emptied my accounts personal savings the joint account even the
40:47emergency fund my mother set up three hundred thousand dollars gone overnight i know his head
40:54snapped up you know i know everything derek i've known about vanessa's real identity for two days
41:02now i opened a folder and placed it in front of him vanessa haleel daughter of victor hale
41:08ceo 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
41:30the first time in five years i saw the man i had once married not the arrogant heir not the
41:35unfaithful
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
42:11morality clause derek stared you want me to vote with you i want you to stand up in front of
42:17the
42:17board tell them exactly what happened and vote to ratify my acquisition your testimony combined with
42:23the evidence my team has assembled will be enough to lift the injunction and destroy victor's case
42:28and if i do this victor will come after me victor is going to come after you regardless derek
42:36he used you he doesn't need you anymore the only question is whether you go down as his puppet
42:43or stand up as someone who fought back the silence stretched then derek did something i never expected
42:51he laughed a hollow bitter sound you know what's funny my mother always said you weren't good enough for
42:59me that you had no ambition no vision she said vanessa was better he met my eyes and now now
43:07i'm
43:07sitting in your office in your building asking for your help and you're the only person in the
43:13world willing to give it to me i didn't feel satisfaction i didn't feel vindication i just felt
43:19tired the shareholder meeting is in 36 hours i said my legal team will prepare your statement
43:24you'll need to review it tonight he stood i'll do it aurelia what i'm sorry not because i need
43:36something from you because i should have said it a long time ago i held his gaze for a moment
43:43then
43:43nodded once and now he left leo appeared in the doorway do you believe him it doesn't matter if i
43:51believe him it matters if the board does my phone buzzed roman victor knows about the sec filing
43:59he is accelerating the shareholder meeting may be moved up i typed back how soon tomorrow 9am 36 hours
44:08had just become 12. i didn't panic panic was a luxury i couldn't afford by midnight my war room was
44:20fully operational margaret had derrick's testimony drafted priya had the financial evidence packaged
44:26into a presentation that even a first year law student could follow james had contacted every
44:32friendly shareholder to confirm their attendance roman arrived at 1am with two cups of coffee and a
44:37flash drive what's on it i asked victor's communications with gerald foss going back 18
44:43months email's text recorded phone calls my people attained them through foss's former assistant she
44:49quit last month and was more than happy to cooperate i plugged in the drive the contents were devastating
44:54victor had been coordinating with foss to inflate and then crash blackwell industries stock timing the
45:00manipulation to coincide with keyboard decisions this is securities fraud margaret said reading over my
45:07shoulder clear documented undeniable securities fraud it's enough to get foss removed from the board
45:14and potentially arrested priya added which means his vote is invalidated i turned to roman if foss's vote
45:23is thrown out and derrick votes with us you have a super majority the acquisition is locked victor can't
45:30touch it for the first time in days i felt something loosen in my chest but roman's expression remained
45:36guarded there's a common implication of course there was victor filed a motion to have the meeting held
45:43at a neutral location the hail industries conference center in midtown the judge approved it an hour ago
45:49james swore under his breath he wants us on his turf it's a power play roman said he wants to
45:55intimidate
45:56the board members surround them with his people his security his atmosphere i stood pacing the length of the
46:04room then we show up with something he doesn't expect which is i looked at roman everything we walk
46:11in with the financial 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 board
46:30to hear victor
46:31hale in his own words admitting to mark manipulation roman considered this then he nodded slowly it's
46:37aggressive victor hale planted a woman in my husband's bed to steal my father's legacy aggressive is the
46:44least of what i'm going to be the room was quiet then margaret smiled i'll have everything ready by 7
46:52a.m
46:53priya james i want backup copies of every document on encrypted drives if anything happens to the
47:00originals we don't lose a thing and me roman asked i met his eyes you'll be there front row i
47:08want victor
47:08to see you and know exactly whose side you're on something passed between us unspoken electric and
47:15entirely too complicated for a night like this front row it is he said quietly everyone filed out roman lingered
47:27aurelia roman if you're about to give me a motivational speech i was gonna say you have coffee on your
47:32sleeve
47:33i looked down he was right for the first time in days i laughed
47:38he smiled that rare real smile and something in the room shifted the air felt lighter warmer
47:46get some sleep he said tomorrow you end this tomorrow we end this he held my gaze for one heartbeat
47:55two three then he left and i sat alone in the war room surrounded by evidence of betrayal and greed
48:03and 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 efferic 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 disharic arrived separately escorted by two of my security personnel roman was
48:36already inside seated in the front row of the observation gallery exactly as promised he wore a
48:43black suit and an expression of perfect calm victor hail sat at the head of the conference table like a
48:49king on his throne silver-haired sharp-eyed impeccably dressed he looked at me the way a cat looks at
48:56a
48:56mouse m's 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 called to
49:10order the chair a neutral attorney appointed by the court outlined the agenda first item ratification of
49:18the ashford capital acquisition of blackwell industries victor's attorney a razor-thin man from
49:24kessler and briggs stood immediately before we proceed we'd like to enter into the record our
49:30formal objection to this acquisition on the grounds of if i may i interrupted standing before mr hale's
49:37attorney launches into what i'm sure is a very expensive objection i'd like to present some materials
49:42to the board the chair looked between us m's ashford this is somewhat irregular so is using your
49:50daughter as a honeypot to destroy a publicly traded company but here we are the room went dead silent
49:56victor's smile didn't waver but his eyes went flat cold like a shark's i nodded to priya who distributed
50:03folders to every board member inside you'll find documentation of a coordinated scheme by victor hale to
50:10manipulate the stock price of blackwell industries the scheme involved planting his daughter vanessa hale
50:16as an agent to infiltrate the blackwell family destabilize the company's leadership
50:22and create conditions for a hostile takeover i walked the board through every piece of evidence
50:27the offshore accounts the monthly payments the connection to kessler and briggs the orion ventures
50:34subsidiary the target list of ashford capital properties the board members faces shifted from
50:40skepticism to shock to barely concealed outrage then i played the audio recording victor's own voice
50:47filled the conference room every word every instruction every casual reference to treating
50:53people's lives like chess pieces when it ended the silence was suffocating victor hale stood slowly
51:00his composure was cracking not visibly not to anyone who didn't know what to look for but i saw the
51:06micro tremor in his right hand the slight flare of his nostrils this this recording was obtained illegally
51:13he said it's inadmissible this isn't a courtroom mr hale the chair's voice was firm and the financial
51:22documents corroborating the recording are more than sufficient i turned to derrick
51:29mr blackwell derrick stood he was pale but steady he looked at the board the people who had watched
51:36him grow up who had sat at his family's dinner table who had trusted his father everything miss
51:43ashford has presented is true he said i was manipulated by vanessa hale at her father's direction
51:51i take full responsibility for my failure to see it and i am formally casting my eight percent share
51:58in support of ashford capital's acquisition gerald foss shot to his feet this is absurd you can't just
52:07mr foss i turned to him with a calm smile would you like me to share your communications with victor
52:13hale
52:14as well because i have 18 months of emails that suggest you've been acting as his inside man
52:21foss's mouth opened he sat down without another word the chair called for a vote one by one the board
52:28members voted martin kemp in favor deanna chu in favor derrick blackwell in favor when the final count
52:36was read the acquisition was ratified by a super majority victor hale sat motionless his empire his
52:44scheme his carefully constructed house of cards had collapsed in under an hour i gathered my documents
52:51buttoned my jacket and paused beside his chair on my way out mr hale a piece of advice from one
52:58ceo to
52:58another he didn't look at me never underestimate a woman you tried to rob you don't just fight back
53:04i leaned in close enough to whisper we take everything
53:10i walked out of the conference room and into the morning light roman was waiting by the elevator
53:15he didn't say anything he just fell into step beside me we rode the elevator down in silence
53:21when the doors opened to the lobby i stopped roman yes that conversation you mentioned
53:29the one that's seven years overdue he turned to face me his dark eyes unreadable i'm ready to have
53:35no and for the first time since this all began the look on his face wasn't guarded or strategic
53:42or careful it was just hopeful we went back to sale's restaurant it was 11 a.m on a tuesday
53:52the place was nearly empty sale took one look at us brought out two espressos and a chessboard
53:58and disappeared into the kitchen roman sat across from me his jacket off sleeves rolled to his forearms
54:05without the armor of a boardroom he looked younger almost like the man i'd known in london almost
54:10seven years he said seven years i echoed you left without a word one day you were there the next
54:17gone
54:18no call no letter nothing my parents had just died roman i inherited a 12 billion dollar company i didn't
54:28know existed in a legacy i wasn't prepared to carry i was 20 years old and the lawyers told me
54:35that
54:35anyone close to me could become a target so you pushed everyone away i pushed you away there's a
54:41difference you could have told me and what would you have done dropped everything followed me into a world
54:50of corporate warfare and billion dollar decisions you had your own family your own empire to build
54:57i would have been there aurelia that's what i would have done the simplicity of it broke something
55:04inside me i wrapped my hands around the espresso cup i made a choice i chose to disappear to build
55:11walls
55:13to handle everything alone and then i married derek because i wanted to feel normal
55:19i wanted someone who didn't know about the money the name the weight of it and instead
55:25you got someone who didn't know you at all yes roman reached across the table your move
55:33you said i moved the queen first he smiled aurelia i'm not gonna pretend the last seven years didn't
55:39happen you hurt me deeply and i spent a long time being angry about it i know but i also
55:49spent that
55:50time building something corsetti holdings isn't just real estate anymore we have security divisions
55:57intelligence networks legal teams that rival any firm in the country i built all of it and some part of
56:05me built it because i knew that one day you'd need someone in your corner who couldn't be bought
56:13threatened or broken i stared at the board my throat was tight that's either the most romantic thing
56:20anyone's ever said to me or the most terrifying it's both i lived upon he moved a knight what happens
56:32now i asked now victor hale faces an sec investigation potential criminal charges and the complete
56:40dismantling of his scheme vain sigh will surface eventually probably in a country without an extradition
56:46treaty derek will spend the rest of his life trying to rebuild a reputation that may be beyond saving
56:51i meant with us roman's hand paused over the board i know what you meant he looked at me really
56:59looked
56:59at me and i saw everything he'd been holding back seven years of waiting seven years of watching from a
57:05distance seven years of building an empire partly just to be worthy of standing next to me i'm not
57:11proposing anything aurelia not tonight you just finished a war you need time to breathe i've been
57:18holding my breath for five years i'm done waiting to breathe something shifted in his eyes the guarded
57:26wall came down not all at once but enough enough for me to see the man behind the strategy the
57:33silence
57:33the chess moves then let's start with dinner he said a real one not a strategy session not an intelligence
57:40briefing just 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 chess board 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
58:11his grip was warm steady real outside the city hummed with its relentless rhythm deals being made empires
58:19rising and falling people chasing power they'd never quite catch but in a tiny italian astraunt on the
58:26lower east side two people who had spent seven years running from each other finally stopped and for
58:31the first time in longer than i could remember i didn't feel like a queen or a ceo or someone's
58:38ex-wife
58:38i just felt like aurelia and that was enough
58:42you
58:43you
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