WHO FIRED HIM?” THE CEO DEMANDED—NO ONE KNEW THE QUIET SINGLE DAD WAS WORTH BILLIONS!
Chapter 3
Victoria ordered a confidential investigation.
No one on the executive team was informed.
She trusted only three people.
Her chief legal officer.
Her head of cybersecurity.
And, reluctantly, David Carter.
David didn’t want involvement.
He made that clear.
“I don’t work for you anymore.”
Victoria nodded.
“I know.”
“I have a daughter.”
“I know.”
“My priority is keeping her safe.”
Victoria looked at him.
“Then help me find whoever is responsible.”
David hesitated.
“You don’t understand.”
“What?”
“If this is what I think it is, you’re not dealing with employees stealing money.”
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“Then what am I dealing with?”
“Someone positioning themselves to take control of the company.”
She didn’t respond.
David explained.
The hidden subsidiary wasn’t merely moving money.
It was accumulating debt.
If the acquisition went through, Harrington Global would inherit those liabilities.
Within eighteen months, the company’s stock could collapse.
Then someone could purchase the weakened company at a fraction of its value.
Victoria stared at him.
“Who benefits?”
David displayed another document.
A private equity firm.
Blackstone Ridge Capital.
Victoria knew the company.
They had attempted to acquire Harrington Global twice.
She whispered:
“They’re behind it.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
David shook his head.
“We don’t have proof.”
Victoria looked frustrated.
“You’ve been investigating this.”
“I’ve been protecting myself.”
“From what?”
“From exactly what happened yesterday.”
“What happened?”
David looked at her.
“Someone broke into my house.”
Victoria went silent.
“Was your daughter there?”
“No.”
“Thank God.”
David’s jaw tightened.
“They didn’t steal anything.”
“What did they do?”
“They searched my office.”
Victoria leaned forward.
“What were they looking for?”
“The files.”
“The evidence?”
“Yes.”
“Do you still have it?”
David smiled faintly.
“Not there.”
Victoria realized.
He had anticipated the attack.
That made her wonder again.
Who was this man?
David returned home that evening.
Emma was asleep.
He checked every window.
Every door.
Then he opened a hidden compartment beneath his desk.
Inside was a passport.
Several bank cards.
And a photograph of a man standing beside a young woman.
The man was David.
But he looked completely different.
Expensive suit.
Confident smile.
Standing beside him was his late wife.
The photograph had been taken years earlier.
Before Emma was born.
Before he walked away from his old life.
David had once been Daniel Carter, founder of Carter Meridian Technologies.
At thirty-two, he had sold his company for $4.8 billion.
He had become one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the country.
Then his wife died unexpectedly.
He disappeared from public life.
Changed his name professionally.
And chose a quiet life for Emma.
Nobody at Harrington knew.
Not even Victoria.
But there was another reason he had joined Harrington Global.
Three years earlier, David had noticed that someone was quietly buying shares.
He suspected corruption.
He took the job anonymously to investigate from inside.
He never expected to discover a conspiracy this large.
The next morning, Victoria arrived at the office.
She called her board.
“We’re freezing the acquisition.”
Chaos erupted.
Lawyers protested.
Investors demanded explanations.
The stock fell.
But Victoria refused to change her decision.
Then someone leaked the information.
Within hours, the media reported that Harrington Global was investigating financial misconduct.
Reporters surrounded the building.
Victoria watched from the window.
Her assistant entered.
“There’s another problem.”
“What?”
“The person who leaked the information is claiming David Carter stole confidential documents.”
Victoria turned.
“Who said that?”
“Lawson.”
Victoria’s expression hardened.
She called David.
He answered immediately.
“I’m aware.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you?”
“At home.”
“Stay there.”
David paused.
“Why?”
“Because someone is trying to frame you.”
“I know.”
Victoria frowned.
“How?”
David looked at his computer.
Because he had just received an encrypted message.
WE KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE.
David’s expression changed.
A second message appeared.
AND SOON, SO WILL SHE.
David looked toward the bedroom where Emma slept.
He immediately understood.
They weren’t trying to destroy his reputation.
They were trying to force him out of hiding.
