Chapter 4 - Page SevenVictoria knew immediately what page seven was.
Her face betrayed her before she spoke.
Evelyn saw it.
“So there is a page seven.”
Victoria looked at Preston.
He shook his head subtly.
That made her angrier.
“The agreement.”
Diane frowned.
“What agreement?”
“The wedding asset agreement Preston asked me to sign tonight.”
Evelyn stared.
“You signed a prenup.”
“This isn't the prenup.”
“What is it?”
Victoria swallowed.
“A management authorization.”
Preston finally stepped forward.
“Which has nothing to do with any of this.”
Evelyn ignored him.
“What does it authorize?”
Victoria hesitated.
“Preston's firm is providing refinancing for the Lake Michigan property.”
Evelyn's stomach tightened.
The Whitmore Hotel Group had four properties.
Three profitable.
One—their ambitious lakefront redevelopment—had become a financial disaster.
Construction delays.
Permitting fights.
Ballooning costs.
“How much refinancing?”
“Eight million.”
Diane answered.
“Twelve.”
Victoria turned.
“What?”
Diane looked uncomfortable.
“The total facility is twelve.”
Evelyn stared at her mother.
“You knew?”
“Of course I knew.”
“And you never told me?”
“You haven't participated in the company for five years.”
“I still own thirty-two percent.”
Diane's expression hardened.
“And show up only when you want to criticize.”
Old resentment again.
Preston knew exactly which wounds to reopen.
“Page seven,” Evelyn said.
Victoria closed her eyes briefly.
“It gives Preston's investment company temporary voting authority over my shares if the refinancing covenant is breached.”
Evelyn couldn't believe what she was hearing.
“For how long?”
“Until repayment.”
“Which could be years.”
“It was supposed to protect the loan.”
Preston smiled coldly.
“That's how secured financing works.”
Evelyn turned toward him.
“Voting control over Victoria's thirty-six percent?”
“Only if the company defaults.”
“And who decides whether a default occurs?”
“The lenders.”
“Your company.”
Preston didn't answer.
Evelyn looked at Victoria.
“If he controls your thirty-six percent and Diane already supports him…”
Diane interrupted.
“I support what's best for the hotels.”
“Then he controls the board.”
Victoria's face changed.
She hadn't fully understood.
Preston moved toward her.
“This is why we needed privacy.”
“No.”
Victoria backed away.
“This is why you kept explaining everything verbally instead of letting me read it.”
“I told you to have your attorney review it.”
“My attorney got a different version.”
Silence.
Preston froze.
Evelyn looked at Victoria.
“What?”
Victoria swallowed.
“The draft Melissa reviewed yesterday didn't include a voting proxy.”
Preston's eyes hardened.
“That's impossible.”
“No.”
Victoria pulled out her phone.
“I have the PDF.”
“Show me.”
She opened it.
Page seven contained ordinary collateral language.
No voting authorization.
Martin moved closer.
“Do you have the document Preston wanted signed tonight?”
Victoria nodded toward a leather folder at the head table.
Diane retrieved it.
They opened to page seven.
Different language.
Completely different.
Evelyn looked at Preston.
“This isn't a misunderstanding.”
He read the page.
His expression sharpened.
“Someone altered it.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“You gave me the folder.”
“My legal team prepared it.”
“Name one lawyer.”
Preston hesitated.
A mistake.
Victoria saw it.
“You don't know?”
“Of course I know.”
“Then say the name.”
He did.
“Jonathan Reese.”
Martin quietly searched his phone.
A few seconds later:
“There is a Jonathan Reese at Hale Capital.”
Preston nodded.
“Exactly.”
Martin continued.
“He's director of acquisitions.”
Victoria stared at Preston.
“Not a lawyer.”
Preston's jaw tightened.
“This is insane.”
Evelyn almost admired how long he could continue.
Every lie created another lie.
Every collapse became someone else's conspiracy.
Then Sophie spoke.
“Mom.”
Evelyn turned.
The little girl had become quiet.
“What's wrong?”
“I remember something else.”
Preston's eyes moved toward her.
Fear again.
Sophie's memory had become the one thing he couldn't control.
“When he was on the phone…”
“Yes?”
“He said Aunt Victoria's name.”
“What?”
Sophie pressed her lips together, thinking.
“He said, ‘Once Victoria signs, Diane can't undo it.’”
Diane went rigid.
Everyone turned toward her.
Preston immediately spoke.
“She is repeating things she's heard tonight.”
“I heard it upstairs.”
“You're confused.”
Buddy growled.
Low.
Preston stepped backward instinctively.
A few guests noticed.
Evelyn did too.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“The dog doesn't like you.”
“It's a dog.”
“He liked you yesterday.”
Preston looked toward Buddy.
The retriever stared back.
Then Buddy suddenly sniffed the torn piece of tuxedo pocket still hanging from Preston's jacket.
His ears lifted.
He pulled toward Preston again.
Martin stepped between them.
“Hold him.”
Sophie tightened the leash.
Buddy kept sniffing.
Then turned.
His nose moved toward the ballroom exit.
He pulled.
“Buddy?”
Sophie followed.
The dog led her to a nearby service door.
Preston's expression changed.
“Keep that dog away from hotel service areas.”
Martin looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because this is ridiculous.”
Buddy scratched at the door.
Martin opened it.
The dog rushed into the service corridor.
Evelyn, Sophie, Victoria, Martin, Diane, and Preston followed.
Buddy moved past stacked linen carts.
Past catering equipment.
Then stopped beside a black trash bag.
He barked.
Martin opened it.
Inside was shredded paper.
A silver USB drive.
And a black leather glove.
Victoria stared.
“My drive.”
Preston immediately said:
“Someone planted that too.”
Evelyn looked at the glove.
Then at him.
“Probably.”
Martin picked it up carefully with a napkin.
Inside the wrist was a stitched monogram.
P.H.
May you like
Preston Hale.
And this time, even Diane had nothing to say.
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