The Billionaire They Couldn’t Break

Chapter 6: The Man in the Boardroom

For several seconds, I said nothing.

Daniel Mercer's name remained on the screen.

Senior board member.

One of the earliest investors in Cole Dominion.

A man who had sat across from me during acquisitions, defended my decisions when others hesitated, and called me reckless more times than I could count.

And now his email address was sitting at the end of a chain connected to stolen information.

Marcus broke the silence first.

"You want me to bring him in?"

"No."

"He already knows something is happening."

"He knows what he thinks is happening."

Marcus folded his arms.

"Which is?"

"That he has access to information I don't know he has."

I looked at Daniel's email address again.

That gave me an advantage.

A small one.

But small advantages were usually enough.

"Can we tell whether he opened the file?"

Marcus nodded.

"Yes. Seven minutes after it was forwarded."

"And after that?"

"He downloaded it."

"Sent it anywhere?"

"Not from his company account."

"Which means he probably used something else."

"Exactly."

I moved toward the windows.

Below us, Westbridge continued as if nothing had changed.

People crossed streets.

Cars moved between towers.

Somewhere out there, Victor Hayes was risking millions on a company I'd invented.

And somewhere inside my own building, Daniel Mercer had been reading the same lie.

"Pull Daniel's access for the last thirty days."

Marcus opened his laptop again.

"Already started."

"Meetings. Calls. Visitors. Every boardroom login."

"That'll take time."

"Then stop talking."

He gave me a dry look.

"I miss friendly Damian."

"He never existed."

"True."

My desk phone rang again.

This time, my assistant sounded cautious.

"Mr. Cole, Mr. Mercer is here."

Marcus looked up.

Neither of us spoke for a second.

"Did I ask him to come?"

"No, sir."

"Send him in."

Marcus closed his laptop.

"You want me to stay?"

"Yes."

Daniel entered less than a minute later.

He wore a navy suit, silver tie, and the expression of a man pretending not to be angry.

His eyes moved to Marcus.

"Private conversation."

"No."

Daniel looked at me.

"I'd prefer—"

"I heard you."

He exhaled and walked farther into the office.

"I've been calling all morning."

"I noticed."

"You've been avoiding me."

"I answered."

"You gave me nothing."

"Then we're both disappointed."

His jaw tightened.

Daniel had always hated not being in control.

Useful thing to remember.

"I just came from speaking with two board members," he said. "They're concerned."

"About?"

"Vantrex."

"Still?"

"Damian, enough."

He placed both hands on my desk.

"Either we're pursuing the company or we're not."

"We're not."

"Then issue a denial."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't need board permission to ignore gossip."

"This stopped being gossip when our investors started making decisions based on it."

"Investors make poor decisions every day."

"You cannot treat this like a game."

My eyes stayed on him.

Interesting choice of words.

"Who said I was?"

Daniel paused.

Only for a fraction of a second.

Marcus noticed too.

I could tell.

Daniel straightened.

"You're being deliberately difficult."

"That's what people say when they don't get the answer they want."

"I want transparency."

"Do you?"

His expression shifted.

Barely.

There it was.

I leaned back.

"Tell me something, Daniel."

"What?"

"When did you first hear the name Vantrex Global?"

The question caught him off guard.

Not enough for most people to notice.

Enough for me.

"This morning."

"From?"

"The news."

"Which station?"

He frowned.

"What does that matter?"

"Humor me."

"Westbridge Finance, I think."

"Think?"

"Yes."

Marcus moved slightly near the conference table.

Daniel noticed.

"What exactly is this?"

"A question."

"No. This."

He gestured between us.

"You've been acting strangely all morning."

"So have you."

His face hardened.

"I came here because I'm trying to protect this company."

"So am I."

Daniel stared at me.

Then smiled without humor.

"You're impossible."

"I've been called worse."

He turned toward the door.

"Board meeting. Tomorrow morning. Nine."

"I didn't schedule one."

"I did."

That made me stand.

Slowly.

Daniel stopped.

"You did what?"

"We have the votes to call an emergency session."

"Over a rumor?"

"Over your refusal to address market instability."

I walked around the desk.

"Careful."

His eyes narrowed.

"Is that a threat?"

"No."

Stopped a few feet from him.

"It's advice."

For the first time, Daniel looked uncertain.

Good.

"I've stood beside you for eleven years," he said.

"Then you should know I don't like surprises."

He held my gaze.

"Maybe that's your problem."

"What?"

"You think you have to know everything."

Then he left.

The office door closed behind him.

Marcus waited three seconds.

"Well."

I turned toward him.

"He lied."

"Obviously."

"Not about the board meeting."

"No."

"About when he heard of Vantrex."

Marcus opened his laptop.

"Want to know how obvious?"

"Go on."

"Daniel's office terminal opened the forwarded file last night at 9:03."

Exactly.

Hours before the morning reports.

"Anything else?"

"Yes."

Marcus clicked through another page.

"At 9:17, Daniel made a seventeen-minute call."

"To who?"

"Unregistered prepaid number."

"Location?"

"Working on it."

"Work faster."

"I'm starting to think that's your favorite sentence."

My phone vibrated.

Amara.

Can you make lunch today?

I stared at the message.

Then another arrived.

I want to talk about the foundation before tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Victor's lunch.

The board meeting.

Now Amara wanted foundation details.

Everything was beginning to stack too neatly.

I typed back.

Not today.

Her response came almost immediately.

You're still coming home tonight, right?

I didn't answer.

Marcus glanced at the phone.

"More trouble?"

"Potentially."

He returned to the laptop.

"There's something else about Daniel."

"What?"

"He approved temporary network access for an outside consultant three weeks ago."

"Who?"

"Consulting firm called Norvale Risk Advisory."

"Never heard of them."

"Neither has our vendor department."

That made me look at him.

"Meaning?"

"They aren't on the approved contractor list."

"Then how did they get access?"

"Daniel authorized it personally."

"Purpose?"

"Cybersecurity review."

I almost laughed.

"Of course."

Marcus's face stayed serious.

"The account was deactivated four days ago."

"Before the breach?"

"Yes."

"Could they still have cloned credentials?"

"Possible."

"Who owns Norvale?"

"Shell company."

Another one.

"Registered where?"

"Delaware."

"Directors?"

"Two names. Both probably nominees."

"Find the money."

Marcus nodded.

The office fell quiet.

I looked toward the empty chair Daniel had just stood beside.

For years, I'd believed enemies announced themselves through competition.

Hostile bids.

Lawsuits.

Rumors.

Threats.

But my father had taught me something I should never have forgotten.

The most dangerous enemy was usually the one allowed inside.

"Emergency board meeting tomorrow," Marcus said.

"Yes."

"You think Daniel plans to use Vantrex against you?"

"Maybe."

"How?"

"Market manipulation. Reckless management. Failure to inform the board."

"All because of a fake company?"

"Doesn't matter whether it's fake if they can make the damage real."

Marcus closed the laptop.

"And Victor?"

"He'll be at lunch afterward."

"You still going?"

"Especially now."

Marcus frowned.

"You think they're coordinating."

"I think Daniel wants a board meeting the same morning Victor wants lunch."

"Could be coincidence."

"Don't insult me."

"Fair."

My desk phone rang again.

My assistant.

"Mr. Cole, Legal is asking for you."

"Why?"

"Someone filed a formal complaint with the Securities Commission."

The room went still.

"Against who?"

A pause.

"Against Cole Dominion."

Marcus straightened.

"For what?" I asked.

"Suspected market manipulation involving undisclosed acquisition activity."

I slowly looked at Marcus.

Vantrex.

The rumor had existed for less than a day.

And someone had already turned it into a regulatory complaint.

That wasn't panic.

That was preparation.

"Who filed it?"

"They won't disclose the complainant."

Of course they wouldn't.

I ended the call.

Marcus cursed under his breath.

"This is moving fast."

"No."

I looked at the television where Vantrex's name was still scrolling across the financial ticker.

"It was already moving before we knew it existed."

Marcus understood.

The fake file hadn't created the trap.

It had exposed one that was already waiting for us.

Daniel's board meeting.

Victor's investments.

The anonymous complaint.

Too many pieces.

Too quickly.

Someone had been prepared to use anything they could get from inside Cole Dominion.

Vantrex simply gave them the excuse.

My phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

A single message.

Your father ignored the board until the board turned against him.

Another message followed.

You have twenty-four hours before history repeats itself.

I stared at the words.

Marcus moved closer.

"What is it?"

I handed him the phone.

His expression changed.

"Same person who sent the Meridian message?"

"No idea."

But whoever it was knew something.

Not just about Nathaniel.

About tomorrow.

The board meeting hadn't been announced publicly.

Daniel had scheduled it less than ten minutes ago.

Yet someone outside this office already knew.

That meant the leak wasn't limited to stolen files.

Someone was watching Cole Dominion in real time.

And for the first time since the investigation began, I understood the scale of the problem.

This wasn't one traitor.

It was a network.