Chapter 13 - The Lawsuit Against Daniel
Victor’s civil lawyers refused to dismiss the lawsuit against Daniel.
“Why?” Victor asked.
“Leverage.”
Victor sat across from them in a downtown conference room.
“Against whom?”
“Price Capital.”
The theory was simple.
If the tortious-interference case remained alive, Victor could threaten discovery into Price’s acquisition process, internal valuation discussions, and Daniel’s communications with Sophie.
That might pressure William into improving the debt arrangement or settlement terms.
Victor looked at the complaint.
Months earlier he would have loved the strategy.
Now it felt different.
“Did Daniel actually send confidential Grant information to his father?”
Lead counsel hesitated.
“We have not found evidence.”
“Did Price use anything Sophie sent Daniel?”
“No.”
“Then why are we suing him?”
“Because the timing supports an inference.”
Victor leaned back.
He heard Evelyn’s handwriting in his head.
Cars than people.
He closed the folder.
“Dismiss Daniel and Greyline.”
His lawyers stared.
“Victor—”
“Without prejudice if necessary. I don’t care.”
“What changed?”
He looked out the window.
“I’m tired of pretending suspicion is proof.”
The dismissal came too late to repair Greyline immediately.
The suspended customer contract remained suspended.
The press treated the voluntary dismissal as evidence Victor’s accusations had been weak.
Daniel should have felt vindicated.
Instead he felt angry.
“He nearly cost forty-two people their jobs,” Daniel told William.
William nodded.
“And now he dismissed.”
“So?”
“So decide what you want. Justice or endless punishment.”
Daniel looked at his father.
“You’re defending him?”
“No.”
“Sounds like it.”
William leaned forward.
“I am telling you something I learned too late. If your enemy finally stops swinging, you do not prove your strength by demanding he keep fighting.”
Daniel said nothing.
His phone rang.
Sophie.
“Can we meet?”
They chose a park where nobody cared about dealerships.
Sophie sat on a bench overlooking the river.
“My father dismissed the lawsuit.”
“I know.”
“Did he call you?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Daniel sat beside her.
She looked exhausted.
“Helena is cooperating.”
“I heard.”
“Federal grand jury.”
“Yes.”
“My father may go to prison.”
Daniel waited.
Sophie continued.
“I thought I wanted consequences.”
“You can want consequences and still be afraid of them.”
She looked at him.
“I’m angry at him. I’m angry at Helena. I’m angry at you.”
“Fair.”
“I’m also angry at Mom.”
Daniel frowned.
“For dying?”
Sophie’s eyes filled.
“For knowing things and leaving me letters instead of telling me.”
Daniel considered.
“She may have thought she was protecting you.”
“That phrase should be illegal.”
He laughed softly.
“Agreed.”
Sophie looked at him.
“Why did you really keep William secret?”
Daniel took his time.
“After my mother died, everyone assumed I would join Price Automotive.”
“You didn’t.”
“I tried.”
She waited.
“My father gave me an office next to his.”
“That sounds nice.”
“It had my name on the door before I accepted the job.”
Sophie understood.
“He decided.”
“Yes.”
Daniel continued.
“At twenty-one, I thought every kindness from him was control. So I left. Built Greyline. Stopped going to industry events. Dated people who had no idea who he was.”
“Like me.”
“Yes.”
“So I was part of your rebellion.”
“At first.”
Sophie looked hurt.
Daniel continued before fear stopped him.
“Then you became the person I wanted to build an honest life with.”
“But you didn’t tell me.”
“No.”
“Because?”
“I was terrified honesty would turn me back into William Price’s son in your eyes.”
Sophie nodded slowly.
“And instead lying did.”
“Yes.”
They sat in silence.
Daniel did not ask about marriage.
He did not touch the ring box in his pocket.
Finally Sophie rested her head briefly against his shoulder.
Not forgiveness.
Not engagement.
Contact.
It was enough.
At Grant Premier, interim CEO Thomas Wynn and Price Capital completed the debt stabilization agreement.
Price purchased forty million dollars of senior exposure from Continental at par and provided a new inventory-support facility through an independent lender consortium.
Grant Premier kept operating.
William obtained no equity.
No board seat.
No control.
Victor hated owing him anything.
But when payroll cleared on Friday, three thousand employees were paid.
That mattered.
Then the forensic accountants delivered their first full report.
The false incentive receivables totaled not twelve million.
Twenty-one point eight.
Alder Street payments exceeded five million.
Improper trust-related transfers and conflicted recapitalizations exposed Victor to enormous civil liability.
And one account had not been identified before.
A Cayman-based holding company called Meridian Auto Strategies had received $7.2 million over six years.
Every transfer was approved electronically by Helena.
Victor’s authorization appeared on four.
He stared.
“I never approved Meridian.”
His criminal attorney looked at him.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Do not answer quickly.”
“I am sure.”
The forensic team traced ownership.
Meridian belonged to Helena Cross.
Victor’s face changed.
Helena had stolen from Grant Premier separately from the fraud they committed together.
She had hidden seven million dollars from him.
May you like
And suddenly the government’s cooperating witness no longer looked like the person merely escaping Victor’s crimes.
She had a second conspiracy of her own.
