Chapter 10 - FRIDAY MORNING
Friday, September 11th. The day of the forty-billion-dollar merger.
By 8:00 AM, the Manhattan headquarters of Whitmore Global was a hive of frantic activity. Dozens of attorneys, investment bankers, and press reporters filled the forty-fourth-floor executive atrium.
At 9:00 AM, Victoria’s sedan pulled up to the Manhattan penthouse.
She took the private elevator directly to the top floor, stepping into her father's study. Her face was pale, her eyes dark with exhaustion and shame.
Richard sat behind his desk, wearing a charcoal suit, sipping a cup of black coffee while reading the morning financial papers. He didn't look surprised to see her.
"Father," Victoria said, her voice breaking as she stood near the doorway.
"Sit down, Victoria," Richard said gently, pointing to the leather armchair across from him.
Victoria walked over and collapsed into the chair, burying her face in her hands. "I’m sorry. I was so arrogant... I thought Ethan and I could run the firm without you. I thought you were just being stubborn..."
"Sophia is very good at what she does," Richard replied quietly. "She spent three years studying this family before she ever met Ethan at that gallery in Soho."
"She’s raiding the Cayman clearing accounts today," Victoria warned, looking up. "Ethan signed the master transfer order last night. At 5:00 PM, when the European syndicate wires the merger funds, the entire forty-billion-dollar pool will route through her shell corporation."
Richard set his coffee cup down with a soft clink.
"She thinks the clearing account belongs to her shell company," Richard said, a subtle, cold smile appearing on his face.
Victoria blinked. "Doesn't it?"
Richard reached into his jacket, pulling out a white document stamped with the official seal of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
"Eight years ago, when Julian Vance tried to steal the firm's assets, I created a secondary override protocol embedded in the founder's charter," Richard explained smoothly. "Any offshore transaction exceeding one billion dollars signed by a proxy Chairman requires the physical biometric authorization of the original founder before the funds can leave the clearinghouse."
Victoria’s eyes widened in realization. "Ethan’s signature alone... is legally incomplete."
"Ethan’s signature is useless," Richard corrected, standing up and buttoning his jacket. "Sophia thinks she’s about to execute a forty-billion-dollar heist. In reality, she just spent six months walking into a steel vault."
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He picked up his leather satchel and looked at his daughter.
"Call Marcus," Richard ordered. "It's time to go back to Wall Street."
