Chapter 4 - The Boardroom
At exactly nine o’clock, Daniel entered the Carter Development boardroom.
He wore yesterday’s suit.
His tie was new.
His confidence was not.
Seven board members sat around the long walnut table.
The company’s general counsel stood near the windows.
The chief financial officer sat with two thick folders in front of him.
Daniel stopped.
Rebecca was sitting in his chair.
Chloe had insisted on coming to the building.
Security had refused to allow her upstairs.
Daniel placed both hands on the table.
“Get out of my seat.”
Rebecca looked at him.
“You should sit down.”
“This is my company.”
One board member cleared his throat.
“Daniel.”
Daniel turned.
“What?”
“You need to hear this.”
Rebecca opened a folder.
“Carter Development currently has three classes of shares.”
“I know how my company works.”
“Then you should know the Whitmore Family Trust owns forty-one percent of voting shares.”
Daniel laughed.
“You own shares.”
“You don’t control anything.”
Rebecca looked toward Caroline.
Caroline slid another document across the table.
Daniel read it.
His smile disappeared.
Rebecca continued.
“My father’s trust also holds convertible preferred shares issued during the 2008 restructuring.”
Daniel stared at her.
“You never converted them.”
“I did yesterday.”
The room went silent.
One board member leaned forward.
“With conversion, what is the voting percentage?”
The CFO answered.
“Fifty-three point eight.”
Daniel looked around the table.
Nobody met his eyes.
He turned toward Rebecca.
“You planned this.”
“No.”
“You’ve been waiting for an excuse.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“I spent twenty-three years giving you excuses.”
Daniel slammed his palm against the table.
“You can’t walk in here and steal my company.”
Rebecca’s voice remained level.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“I exercised rights my family paid for when your company was eleven hours from bankruptcy.”
Daniel’s face tightened.
“I built this company.”
“You built part of it.”
Rebecca leaned forward.
“And every time it nearly collapsed, somebody else quietly kept it standing.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
Daniel laughed with contempt.
“You hosted dinners.”
Rebecca’s eyes hardened.
“I guaranteed the Hudson project.”
Daniel stopped.
“I negotiated the Stanton debt extension.”
Another pause.
“I personally covered payroll for nine weeks when the Chicago financing disappeared.”
The CFO looked at Daniel.
“She did.”
Rebecca continued.
“And when your first lender refused to refinance, my trust injected six million dollars.”
Daniel turned toward the CFO.
“You told her private financial information?”
The CFO stared back.
“She already knew.”
Rebecca placed another folder on the table.
“Because I was the person providing the money.”
Daniel’s breathing became heavier.
Caroline spoke.
“This meeting was originally called to address the ownership conversion.”
She opened the next document.
“But overnight, additional issues were discovered.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What issues?”
The CFO pushed a spreadsheet toward him.
“Unapproved transfers.”
Daniel’s face changed.
Rebecca watched closely.
There it was.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
“How much?”
A board member asked.
The CFO answered.
“At least four point seven million dollars over eighteen months.”
Daniel stood.
“That’s ridiculous.”
The CFO did not move.
“The transfers came from accounts under your authorization.”
Rebecca felt something inside her go cold.
“Where did the money go?”
The CFO looked at Daniel.
Then at Rebecca.
“Several places.”
“One was a consulting company.”
Rebecca frowned.
“What consulting company?”
The CFO turned the paper.
The name appeared at the top.
CMB Lifestyle Consulting.
Daniel suddenly reached for the page.
Rebecca stopped him.
“What does CMB stand for?”
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel’s phone lit up on the table.
A message appeared across the screen.
From Chloe Bennett.
ARE THEY ASKING ABOUT MY COMPANY?
May you like
Rebecca looked from the phone to Daniel.
And for the first time that morning, Daniel had absolutely nothing to say.
