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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED-THREE: EVELYN'S LAST INSTRUCTION
Richard didn't open the photograph again until they were back at the apartment. He had spent the entire drive staring out of the window. Sophia sat beside him. Grant drove. Nobody asked questions. They all knew the same thing. The woman in the photograph mattered. The problem was that they didn't know why. Richard placed the photograph on the table. Evelyn stood on the left. The other woman stood beside her. She looked older than Evelyn by perhaps ten years. Dark hair. Sharp eyes. A small scar above her eyebrow. Richard turned the photograph over. The six words remained. THE WOMAN WHO KEPT ME ALIVE. Grant enlarged the photograph. "There may be something behind them." Richard frowned. "What?" Grant pointed at the background. A building. A sign. Barely visible. Sophia leaned closer. "Can you read it?" Grant adjusted the image. "Meridian..." Richard's eyes widened. "Meridian what?" The rest was damaged. Sophia looked at the photograph again. "This wasn't taken at Blackridge."
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED-TWO: THE FILE EIGHTEEN
Blackridge looked smaller than Richard remembered. Perhaps it was because he was no longer entering it as an heir. The building stood at the edge of an industrial district, surrounded by warehouses and empty lots. Years ago, the place had terrified him. Now he simply saw an old building with too many secrets.Grant parked two streets away.Sophia checked the rearview mirror. "Are you sure this is legal?"Richard looked at her. "No."She stared.He smiled. "I mean, we're not breaking in."Grant opened the glove compartment. "I brought the documents proving the businesses have a legitimate interest in the records."Sophia looked at him. "You prepared this without telling me?"Grant shrugged. "You two were busy arguing.""We weren't arguing.""You were."Richard ignored them.They approached the building from the rear. The main entrance was sealed. A security camera turned toward them.Richard stopped. "Don't move."Sophia froze. Grant looked up. The camera rotated away. Richard waited.
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED-ONE: THE THING THEY COULD NOT CONTROL
By Friday morning, Richard's small office had become crowded. Not with executives. Not with lawyers. With business owners. Twenty-three of them.They sat around folding tables borrowed from the building's management office, holding notebooks, financial statements, supplier contracts and coffee cups.Richard stood at the front. He looked at the room. Three months ago, he would have walked into a room like this expecting everyone to listen because of his name. Now, he wasn't sure anyone knew what his name was worth. That made the room better."We have a problem," Richard said.A few people laughed. "We always have a problem."Richard smiled. "This one is bigger."Grant connected his laptop to the screen. A map appeared. Twenty-three companies. Different industries. Different locations. Different owners. But red lines connected several of them."These companies have outstanding financing arrangements with Mercer Capital or one of its related entities."A murmur moved through the room.Ri
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED: THE FIRST TEST
The first real test arrived on a Tuesday morning. It began with an email. Then another. Then twelve.Grant walked into the office carrying his laptop. "We have a problem."Richard didn't look up from the contract he was reading. "What kind?""Our supplier agreement is being challenged.""By whom?""Three suppliers."Richard looked up. "Why?""They claim our purchasing arrangement violates existing exclusivity clauses."Sophia took the laptop. She read the first notice. "These clauses weren't in the original agreements."Grant nodded. "They were added in amendments six months ago."Richard frowned. "Without the companies noticing?""They signed them."Richard stood. "Then legally, they may have a problem."Sophia shook her head. "Not necessarily." She pointed to a paragraph. "Look at the amendment date."Richard leaned closer. All three amendments had been signed within forty-eight hours. By three different companies. With three different suppliers. But the legal wording was almost ide
CHAPTER NINETY-NINE: THE PEOPLE WHO STAYED
The first thing Richard learned about rebuilding was that nobody cared about his surname. That was a good thing. The second thing he learned was that nobody trusted him. That was even better. Trust, he had discovered, was easier to value when you had actually earned it.Three weeks after losing Black Group, Richard sat in a small conference room above a printing company in downtown New York. There were no marble floors. No private elevator. No security team waiting outside. The table had a small scratch across the middle, and one of the chairs was missing a wheel.Grant had apologized for the place twice. Richard had told him to stop. "This is exactly where we should be."Grant looked around. "You're serious?""Very."Sophia placed three folders on the table. "Then we have a problem."Richard looked at her. "What?""We have more companies asking for help than we can handle."Richard leaned back. "How many?""Eleven."Grant corrected her. "Fourteen."Sophia turned toward him. "Since wh
CHAPTER NINETY EIGHT: THE THING THEY COULD NOT TAKE
Richard didn't sleep. The man's words kept returning. Someone named Michael. It could be another Michael. A coincidence. A trap. But Richard had learned one thing from Northstar. The first mistake was assuming the obvious answer was the correct one.By morning, he had made a decision. "We walk away."Grant looked up. "From the debt?""Yes."Sophia watched him carefully. "You're sure?""No." Richard smiled. "That's why."Grant frowned.Richard continued. "If Michael wants me to buy this debt, then buying it may be exactly what he wants.""So what do we do?"Richard placed the folder on the table. "We build without it."Grant looked at the documents. "How?"Richard pointed toward the list of seven companies. "We help them.""Without taking ownership?""Without taking control."Sophia smiled. "Now you're thinking differently."Richard nodded. "Those companies don't need another person telling them what to do." He looked at Grant. "They need contracts." Then at Sophia. "Protection." Then
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