Chapter 11 - THE MAN WHO FUNDED US
Nathaniel Brooks was arrested before he reached the yacht.
Federal agents stopped his car near the marina.
Inside were two passports, six million dollars in bearer instruments, and copies of Evelyn Sterling’s files.
Brooks denied planning to flee.
He claimed he intended to negotiate with Matthew and recover stolen documents.
My father did not believe him.
Neither did I.
The files showed that Brooks had used North Harbor Ventures to make unauthorized investments for years.
NexusCore was not one of them.
My father had approved that investment.
However, Brooks later purchased additional shares through hidden companies.
He became the beneficial owner of nearly fifteen percent.
Matthew helped conceal the position.
In exchange, Brooks taught him how to move money and manipulate corporate records.
Matthew’s corruption had not grown alone.
It had been trained.
Brooks also knew about the Hamptons house and Lauren’s child.
He used the information to pressure Matthew into approving deals that benefited him.
Lauren believed Matthew ruled the company.
Matthew believed Brooks helped him.
In reality, each man held evidence against the other.
My mother had discovered Brooks’s methods before her death.
The boating accident was reopened.
A mechanic who serviced the boat admitted Brooks paid him to ignore a damaged steering cable.
He denied causing the damage.
The cable had been cut.
My father sat beside me when Detective Ortiz delivered the news.
For seven years, I believed returning to him meant admitting that Matthew had been a mistake.
Now I watched him learn that the business partner he trusted may have killed his wife.
Betrayal had built walls on both sides of our family.
“We both stayed silent too long,” I said.
Richard looked at me.
“Yes.”
“What do we do now?”
“We stop protecting institutions from the truth.”
Brooks agreed to cooperate after prosecutors linked him to the altered boat.
He identified the yacht where Matthew waited.
Federal agents approached before sunrise.
The vessel appeared abandoned.
Inside, they found blood on the deck and Lauren’s private phone.
A body floated near the stern.
It belonged to Dr. Evan Keats.
The physician connected to my false insurance examination.
Matthew had killed the man who could explain the policy.
Security footage from a nearby fuel dock showed Matthew leaving in a smaller boat.
He had shaved his hair and changed clothes.
He carried one waterproof case.
Lauren recognized it.
“The founder archive.”
The case contained every forged document, original signature page, and hidden transaction that could destroy him.
Or destroy NexusCore if he released them selectively.
May you like
Matthew sent a message to the entire board.
“Reinstate me by noon, or every server goes dark.”
