Chapter 10 - The Notary
Rachel stared at the deed.
“I never notarized this.”
They met at Andrew’s office before sunrise.
“You were commissioned then?” Andrew asked.
“Yes. Sterling paid for several accounting staff to become notaries.”
“Your seal?”
“It looks right.”
“Signature?”
“Forged.”
Michael leaned forward.
“Can you prove it?”
Rachel studied the date.
“I was in the hospital.”
Everyone went silent.
“For what?”
“My son had appendicitis.”
Hospital records confirmed Rachel was at Children’s Hospital from 6:30 p.m. until after midnight.
The deed showed notarization at 8:15 p.m.
Andrew smiled for the first time in days.
“Good.”
Rachel looked offended.
“My child being hospitalized is good?”
“The record is good.”
Daniel paced.
“If the deed is forged, the house is mine.”
“Likely,” Andrew said. “But don’t assume Patricia has only one version.”
They reported the suspected forged deed.
The evidence pattern was becoming undeniable.
Michael’s signatures.
Rachel’s signature.
Corporate approvals.
Property transfers.
Patricia had built power through paperwork because paperwork looked clean until someone compared dates, access logs, and money.
Claire arrived with another discovery.
“Samuel Pike’s Aspen condominium wasn’t the only transaction.”
She displayed property records.
Elaine Foster had sold a ranch parcel to a Patricia-controlled trust for nearly twice market value.
Another director had received consulting payments.
The emergency board vote had been purchased.
Daniel sat down heavily.
“So my entire appointment is compromised.”
“Yes,” Claire said.
His face tightened.
He had wanted the CEO position for years.
Now even getting it had become humiliating.
Michael noticed.
“You can resign.”
Daniel looked at him sharply.
“Easy for you to say.”
“No.”
“You already had the job.”
“I lost it.”
“For four days.”
Michael stepped closer.
“You think I don’t understand what Mom did to you?”
Daniel laughed.
“She spent my whole life telling me I could lead if I became more disciplined. Then when she finally gave me the chair, it was because she needed a puppet.”
Michael lowered his voice.
“Then stop being one.”
Daniel’s anger flared.
“You always make it sound simple.”
“It isn’t.”
“You were Dad’s favorite.”
Michael almost denied it.
Instead, he said, “Yes.”
Daniel froze.
Michael continued.
“And I benefited from that. I pretended it was only merit because admitting otherwise made me uncomfortable.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
It was the first honest acknowledgment Michael had ever given him.
“Why say that now?”
“Because Mom used the fact that we never said it.”
Daniel looked away.
The alliance strengthened.
But Vanessa was becoming unstable.
During supervised visitation, she asked repeatedly whether Michael had spoken to prosecutors.
“You told them about me?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Everything I know.”
Vanessa began crying.
“You promised to protect me.”
“When?”
“When we married.”
Michael stared at her.
“That promise was made to a person I thought existed.”
Vanessa flinched.
Later, she asked to speak privately.
The supervisor refused.
Vanessa then said loudly enough for Michael to hear:
“Patricia has another copy.”
Michael turned.
“Of what?”
“The files.”
“Where?”
Vanessa looked toward the supervisor.
“I need immunity.”
Michael said, “I can’t give you that.”
“You can help.”
“Through your lawyer.”
Rebecca Sloan looked unhappy.
Vanessa leaned forward.
“The vault is insurance. Patricia never keeps only one set.”
“Where’s the second?”
Vanessa whispered, “Halberg.”
Michael stared.
“The company?”
“Victor Halberg.”
The CEO of Halberg Hospitality.
“What does he have?”
“Enough to own her.”
The Halberg acquisition suddenly made more sense.
Patricia wasn’t merely collecting another kickback.
She might be buying a company that held evidence against her.
“Why would Halberg sell?”
“Because Victor has debt.”
“And after Sterling buys his company?”
“His debt disappears. Patricia gets his copies. Everyone wins.”
“Except Sterling shareholders.”
Vanessa gave a bitter smile.
“She never thinks shareholders lose when she controls what they own.”
Michael told Andrew.
Federal investigators were contacted through counsel that afternoon.
They were interested.
But moving carefully.
Then Sterling Development’s stock-like private share valuation problem became urgent.
A major institutional investor, Westbridge Capital, sent notice that it might exercise contractual rights to force a sale of its stake if leadership uncertainty continued.
That could trigger hundreds of millions in liquidity obligations.
Patricia had created a corporate crisis large enough to pressure Michael into settlement.
Claire said, “If Westbridge exits now, Sterling may have to sell assets.”
Michael understood.
Patricia could argue only the Halberg acquisition—with its supposed cash flow—would stabilize the company.
The fraud itself was creating the excuse for the fraudulent deal.
Then Daniel called.
“Mom moved the board meeting.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“For what?”
“To approve Halberg.”
Michael closed his eyes.
Daniel added, “And there’s one more resolution.”
“What?”
May you like
“To permanently remove you as CEO.”
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