Chapter 6 - The Brother Behind the Numbers
Grant Holloway had introduced Serena to Nathan.
That memory suddenly felt poisonous.
Grant had joined Cole Summit nine years earlier, long before Nathan met Serena.
He was disciplined, polished, and exceptionally good with numbers.
Three years ago, during a charity ski weekend, Grant brought his younger sister to Aspen.
Serena was charming.
Independent.
Patient with Nathan’s grief over a failed engagement years earlier.
She never seemed impressed by his money.
That had impressed him.
Now Nathan wondered whether he had mistaken strategy for restraint.
Grant denied using the messaging app.
“Someone used my workstation.”
“Your login was active,” Nathan said.
“IT credentials can be spoofed.”
Jason sat across the conference table.
“MFA was approved from your phone.”
Grant’s jaw tightened.
“Then someone had my phone.”
Nathan almost admired the consistency.
Everyone accused of digital misconduct suddenly became a cybersecurity expert.
“What were you doing at 10:43 p.m. January ninth?” Rachel asked.
Grant looked at her.
“This is an internal company interview. Why is Nathan’s personal attorney here?”
“Because fake evidence against a witness in a potential child-abuse investigation was generated from company infrastructure.”
Grant leaned back.
“I want counsel.”
Nathan said nothing.
That was the correct move.
Old Nathan would have threatened termination before the elevator doors closed.
Instead, Nathan placed Grant on administrative leave pending investigation and commissioned an independent forensic review.
The review found more.
Grant had approved $940,000 in payments over eighteen months to a consulting company called Northstar Lifestyle Partners.
Its services supposedly included resort branding, VIP guest strategy, and wedding-related hospitality planning.
The beneficial owner was difficult to identify.
But the registered address matched a private mailbox used by Serena’s design company.
Nathan stared at the invoices.
“She was billing my company?”
Grant’s deputy CFO, Aaron Miles, nodded.
“Through Northstar.”
“For what?”
“Some work may be legitimate.”
“How much?”
“We don’t know yet.”
Nathan looked at one invoice.
“Executive family brand integration — $86,000.”
Another:
Private guest protocol design — $112,000.
Maria, joining by video at Rachel’s request, shook her head.
“She picked flowers.”
Nathan nearly laughed.
He did not.
Northstar had received nearly a million dollars.
Serena had repeatedly insisted on paying for wedding vendors herself because she “wanted independence.”
Apparently Nathan’s company had been reimbursing her through hidden corporate invoices.
Grant’s motive became clearer.
He had authorized payments to his sister.
If Nathan discovered the arrangement before marriage, both siblings stood to lose everything.
Rachel asked, “Does Grant benefit from any Cole trust?”
“No.”
“Company equity?”
“Options worth about six million if he remains through next year.”
“Termination for cause?”
“He loses most of them.”
There it was.
Grant had millions to lose.
Serena had marriage, money, and future influence to gain.
Maria had credibility to lose.
Nathan had Ava.
That afternoon police interviewed Serena regarding the nursery footage.
She did not deny the video anymore.
Instead, she minimized it.
“I was overwhelmed.”
“Why blame Maria?” Detective Carla Reyes asked.
“I panicked because Nathan scares people when he is angry.”
“Has he assaulted you?”
“No.”
“Threatened you?”
“Not physically.”
“What did you expect him to do to Maria?”
Serena paused.
“Fire her.”
Reyes looked up.
“You wanted Maria fired?”
“I wanted Nathan to realize she was manipulating him.”
“Did you create a fake blackmail message?”
“No.”
“Did your brother?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you discuss Maria’s debt with him?”
Serena requested an attorney.
The questioning ended.
That night Nathan visited Maria’s apartment.
He did not go inside until she invited him.
“I came to apologize.”
Maria folded her arms.
“For which thing?”
“All of it.”
“That is too broad.”
He nodded.
“For hearing you say Serena was too hard on Ava and deciding your concern was resistance to change.”
Maria said nothing.
“For seeing you holding my crying daughter and treating fear like evidence against you.”
Still silence.
“For believing money made me good at knowing people.”
Maria looked away.
Nathan continued.
“I don’t expect you to come back.”
“That is smart.”
“But I want you to know the chalet is your workplace only if you choose it. Not your obligation.”
Maria’s expression softened.
A little.
Then she handed him an envelope.
“What is this?”
“Your father gave it to me before he died.”
Nathan opened it.
Inside was a handwritten note.
Nathan—
The worst thing wealth does is convince a man that because everyone answers him, everyone trusts him.
Listen harder than you speak.
Thomas.
Nathan sat very still.
Maria said, “I almost gave that to you three years ago.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“You were not ready.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know.”
His phone rang.
Rachel.
“Nathan, the independent auditors found another Northstar payment.”
“How much?”
“Four hundred thousand.”
“For what?”
“Legal and succession consulting.”
Nathan’s pulse slowed.
“Succession?”
“Yes.”
“The invoice references Project Snowbird.”
“What is that?”
“We don’t know.”
Maria looked at Nathan.
He already felt the answer waiting somewhere.
May you like
Project Snowbird was not about a wedding.
It was about what happened after one.
