Chapter 11 - The Phantom Document
Two weeks after taking the helm at the foundation, a certified courier envelope arrived at my private office. It didn't come from a court or a bank. It was sent from a private law firm in downtown Chicago, marked Urgent & Confidential.
Inside was a single folded sheet of heavy paper. It was a non-disclosure agreement signed five years ago.
My breath caught in my throat as I read the signatures at the bottom. The first signature belonged to Natalie Brooks. The second signature—stamped with a corporate seal—belonged to Arthur Pendelton.
My father’s trusted friend. The man who had walked me into the corporate gala. The man who had stood beside me as I exposed Daniel.
Before I could process the document, my cell phone buzzed on the glass desk. It was an unlisted number. I answered, keeping my voice cool and steady.
"Claire."
It was Daniel. His voice sounded thin, raspy, and thoroughly broken.
"I told you not to call this number, Daniel," I said calmly.
"Don't hang up, please," he pleaded, coughing softly. "I'm calling from a payphone near the train station. You need to check your mail. Did you get the package?"
I looked down at the signed agreement on my desk. "How do you know about this?"
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"Because when the federal auditors cleared out my desk, they missed a drive hidden in my old briefcase," Daniel stammered, his words rushing out in a panic. "Natalie wasn't just working for her brother's firm, Claire. She was put in my path by Arthur. Arthur wanted me to steal that code. He wanted me to get caught so he could force you to liquidate your father's voting shares to save me from a public trial!"
I stared at the signatures on the paper, the cold reality settling into my chest. Arthur hadn't been protecting me at the gala. He had been staging a corporate execution—and Daniel was merely the bait.
