Chapter 6 - The Price of the Resort
Victoria’s motive now had a number.
$2.4 million.
But Ethan warned Michael not to simplify it.
“That payment may be legal compensation,” he said.
“For selling my company below market value?”
“It may also be a side arrangement that Halcyon’s full investment committee doesn’t know about.”
“Do you?”
“No. I’m not on their deal team.”
“Can you access more?”
“Not legally.”
Michael paced the villa.
“What did your due diligence uncover?”
“Security gaps. Strange administrator access. Deleted archive rules.”
“Created by Victoria?”
“I don’t know.”
Michael turned.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because unlike your family, I prefer evidence before accusations.”
The criticism landed.
Michael looked at Ethan’s bruised face.
“Fair.”
Ethan’s tone softened.
“There is one thing.”
“What?”
“The pool-camera system was scheduled for replacement next week.”
Michael frowned.
“Why?”
“Hardware modernization.”
“Who approved it?”
“Finance.”
Victoria.
“And the old storage units?”
“Vendor disposal.”
Michael felt cold.
“If Sophie had stayed quiet…”
“The video might have been erased with everything else.”
Michael looked toward the window.
Snow began collecting on the villa roofs.
Victoria had attacked Sophie two days before the system containing evidence of that attack was scheduled to disappear.
Coincidence seemed increasingly unlikely.
Michael called Lena.
“File for preservation of every Silverpine camera server.”
“Already did.”
He almost laughed.
“Rachel trained you well.”
“No. Rachel trained you. You just forgot.”
Another truth.
That afternoon, Michael attended the board’s emergency meeting by video.
Victoria appeared from her attorney’s office.
She was out on bond under conditions prohibiting contact with Sophie and requiring her to stay away from Michael except through counsel or formal business proceedings.
She looked immaculate.
Michael hated how normal she seemed.
Harold Penn opened the meeting.
“Given the events at Silverpine, the sale vote is postponed.”
Victoria immediately objected.
“My personal legal matter has no connection to an asset transaction.”
Michael leaned toward his camera.
“You tried to obtain Rachel’s trust amendment.”
Victoria’s eyes sharpened.
“That is a lie.”
“We have video.”
“You have footage of me carrying an envelope.”
“Marked with Rachel’s name.”
“Our company stores hundreds of legal files.”
“And Mason fled with cash.”
“He panicked because you’re turning a family misunderstanding into a criminal spectacle.”
Michael stared at her.
“You dragged my daughter into a pool.”
Victoria’s lawyer moved closer to the screen.
“My client will not discuss pending charges.”
Victoria ignored him.
“She was never in danger.”
Michael’s hands tightened.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
Harold interrupted.
“We are not trying a criminal case here.”
Lena slid a document toward Michael.
He read it.
His pulse quickened.
“Then let’s discuss Alpine Strategic Services.”
Victoria went still.
Michael watched carefully.
There.
Fear.
Small.
Real.
He continued.
“Does the board know you own it?”
Victoria’s lawyer whispered something.
Victoria said, “It is a personal consulting entity.”
“Scheduled to receive $2.4 million after the Silverpine closing.”
Silence.
One outside director leaned toward her screen.
“Victoria?”
She recovered quickly.
“The payment is unrelated to Silverpine.”
“Then provide the contract,” Michael said.
“It’s confidential.”
“To whom?”
“My private business partners.”
“You’re CFO of Bennett Leisure Group. You negotiated the Halcyon transaction.”
“I participated.”
“And you didn’t disclose a multi-million-dollar payment from an entity tied to Halcyon management?”
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“You should be careful accusing me of breaching fiduciary duties when you assaulted a consultant during due diligence.”
Michael froze.
How did she know Ethan worked for Halcyon?
Ethan’s relationship was protected by confidentiality.
Michael glanced at Lena.
She had noticed too.
Victoria smiled faintly.
The power in the room shifted again.
“You thought Ethan was some heroic stranger?” she asked.
Her lawyer tried to stop her.
Victoria continued.
“He was paid to inspect your resort.”
Michael said, “That doesn’t change what the camera shows.”
“No.”
Victoria’s voice became colder.
“But perhaps the board should ask why a Halcyon contractor assaulted by our CEO is suddenly helping that CEO investigate the transaction.”
Ethan had not assaulted anyone.
But Victoria did not need truth.
She needed confusion.
Harold adjourned the meeting and ordered an independent investigation into both the side payment and Michael’s conduct.
Afterward, Michael drove to the hospital guest lodge where Sophie was staying with Grace.
She was drawing.
In the picture, three figures stood beside a blue rectangle.
Michael.
Sophie.
Ethan.
A fourth figure stood far away.
Victoria.
Michael sat beside her.
“Sweetheart, why did Aunt Victoria tell you to stay quiet?”
Sophie kept coloring.
“Because I heard Mr. Mason say Mommy hid the real paper.”
Michael’s heart jumped.
“What real paper?”
“I don’t know.”
“What exactly did he say?”
Sophie thought carefully.
“He said, ‘Rachel hid the real paper where Victoria would never look.’”
Michael leaned closer.
“And what did Aunt Victoria say?”
Sophie lowered the crayon.
“She said, ‘Rachel is dead. Dead people don’t get to win.’”
Michael felt grief and rage collide.
Then Sophie added one more sentence.
May you like
“Mr. Mason said, ‘If Michael finds the recording, you’re finished.’”
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