Chapter 12 - THE OFFER
Mary sent Thomas a message through the one person she knew he was still watching.
Vanessa.
Twenty minutes later, an encrypted reply arrived.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Mary typed.
A TRADE.
The answer came quickly.
WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE THAT I NEED?
Mary photographed the original Northstar agreement.
She sent only the first page.
Thomas responded forty seconds later.
WHERE?
Mary chose the Bennett Grand Hotel.
The same hotel where she had discovered Ethan and Vanessa.
The same presidential suite.
Daniel objected immediately.
“You cannot meet him privately.”
“I won’t.”
Police installed surveillance throughout the floor.
Detective Martinez positioned officers in adjacent rooms.
Mary sat alone in the presidential suite.
Her engagement ring was still inside a small evidence envelope on the table.
Hotel staff had found it after Ethan left.
At 9:07 p.m., the door opened.
Thomas entered.
He looked older than he had forty-eight hours earlier.
“You always enjoyed drama.”
Mary remained seated.
“You kidnapped my mother.”
“You have no proof.”
“The police found your employee inside the house.”
“A misunderstanding.”
“You poisoned my father.”
Thomas smiled.
“Careful.”
Mary felt anger rise.
She forced it down.
“My father remembers.”
“Your father can barely form a sentence.”
“He formed your name.”
For the first time, Thomas’s smile weakened.
Mary placed the agreement on the table.
His eyes locked onto it.
“The original.”
“Yes.”
“What do you want?”
“Relinquish control of Northstar.”
Thomas laughed.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“If you don’t, I burn this.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because you need it.”
“So do you.”
Thomas studied her.
“You really are Richard’s daughter.”
Mary leaned forward.
“No.”
“I’m Rebecca’s granddaughter.”
That struck harder.
Thomas’s expression darkened.
“You know nothing about Rebecca.”
“I know she trusted you.”
“She treated me like a servant.”
“She made you administrator of a fund worth hundreds of millions.”
“She made Richard chairman.”
Mary understood.
This had never been only about money.
Thomas had spent his life believing his older brother had been chosen over him.
“You tried to destroy an entire company because your mother loved your brother more?”
Thomas slammed his hand onto the table.
“Richard was given everything.”
There it was.
The rage he had hidden for decades.
Mary remained calm.
“And Ethan?”
Thomas smiled again.
“Ethan was useful.”
“You knew who he was when he joined the company.”
“Of course.”
“You encouraged him to date me?”
“I encouraged ambition.”
Mary’s stomach turned.
“Did you order Peter Hart killed?”
Thomas looked toward the windows.
“Peter made poor choices.”
“Did Michael Cole kill him?”
Thomas said nothing.
Mary pushed.
“And my father?”
Thomas’s mouth curved.
“Richard should have taken his medication more carefully.”
Mary’s pulse thundered.
The microphones had captured everything.
Detective Martinez was probably already moving.
But Thomas suddenly reached beneath his jacket.
Mary stood.
The door exploded open.
Police rushed inside.
Thomas did not have a gun.
He held a lighter.
He grabbed the Northstar agreement and ignited the corner.
Mary stared.
Thomas smiled.
“You lose too.”
The flame spread.
Then Mary did something unexpected.
She laughed.
Thomas froze.
“What?”
“That’s a copy.”
Officers grabbed him.
Mary reached into her handbag.
“The original is already in federal custody.”
Thomas’s expression finally broke.
As police dragged him toward the door, Mary gave her final command.
“Daniel.”
Her attorney stepped inside.
“Yes?”
“Activate the fraud clause.”
Thomas stopped fighting.
May you like
Because he knew exactly what that meant.
Northstar Capital now belonged to Mary.
