Chapter 7 - TWENTY-FOUR HOURS TO LEAVEMarcus finally understood.
Blake had always known the signatures were forged.
More importantly, he had planned for the project to fail.
Investor money had been moved through consulting fees into Blake-controlled companies.
Marcus’s family name attracted the funds.
Blake took the profit.
“You used me,” Marcus said.
“You wanted to be used.”
Marcus stepped closer.
“I can tell investigators everything.”
Blake’s expression remained calm.
“And tell them you signed the documents?”
“You prepared them.”
“You presented them.”
The distinction mattered.
Blake boarded the boat.
“Come with me, or explain it alone.”
The engine started.
Marcus stood on the dock.
For most of his life, someone else had resolved every crisis.
A father.
A mother.
An assistant.
A lawyer.
Blake expected him to choose another escape.
Marcus almost did.
Then he remembered Jonathan’s note.
The choice is yours.
He stepped away from the boat.
Blake left without him.
Marcus called William Hart.
“I want to speak to the investigators.”
William paused.
“Has your father authorized me to represent you?”
“No.”
“Then I cannot advise you.”
“Can you tell him I didn’t run?”
“I will tell him.”
“That’s all?”
“That is all.”
The next morning, Marcus entered the lender’s office without a lawyer.
He admitted signing Jonathan’s name.
He described Blake’s role.
Investigators advised him to obtain counsel before continuing.
Marcus used most of his remaining cash to hire a young defense attorney named Rachel Kim.
She did not care about the Reed surname.
“Did you forge the signature?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you know it was illegal?”
“Yes.”
“Did you receive money?”
“Some.”
“Where is it?”
“Lost in the project.”
“Then our strategy begins with cooperation, not denial.”
Marcus hated the word cooperation.
It sounded weak.
Rachel continued.
“Your father is not required to save you.”
“He won’t let me be imprisoned.”
“You should stop building decisions around what you think he cannot emotionally tolerate.”
The sentence sounded like Jonathan.
Marcus almost fired her.
He could not afford another attorney.
News of the investigation reached financial reporters.
Reed Holdings issued a statement denying any involvement in Crown Meridian.
Jonathan’s name disappeared from the project website.
Investors panicked.
The development collapsed within hours.
Blake’s boat was located near Nassau.
He was not aboard.
Authorities began searching.
Marcus returned to the hotel and discovered his room charges had consumed the last of the wallet’s cash.
He sold one luxury watch.
The dealer offered less than a quarter of what Jonathan had paid.
Marcus accepted.
He moved into a small furnished apartment far from the water.
The air-conditioning rattled.
The windows overlooked a parking lot.
For the first time, no staff member carried his luggage.
He placed the leather wallet on the kitchen counter.
The torn halves of Jonathan’s letter remained inside.
That evening, someone knocked.
Marcus opened the door, expecting Rachel.
Eleanor stood in the hallway.
She held no check.
No envelope.
Only a bag of groceries.
“May I come in?” she asked.
Marcus looked at the bag.
“Did Dad send you?”
“No.”
“Are you going to pay the rent?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
May you like
Eleanor’s eyes filled with tears.
“To see my son without rescuing him.”
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