Chapter 12 - Seventy-Two Hours
Nathan remained in Oregon for the next three days.
Douglas called Eleanor.
Helen called the hospital.
Nathan’s assistant sent increasingly urgent messages.
He ignored them all except one.
To Helen, he wrote:
My daughter was born today. Unless the company is physically burning, handle it.
Whitmore Global did not burn.
The stock market opened.
Ships departed.
Trucks moved.
Contracts were signed.
Thousands of employees somehow continued working without Nathan Whitmore answering every call.
The realization embarrassed him.
He had spent years presenting his absence from home as necessity.
Now necessity continued perfectly well without him.
On the third evening, Emma found him sitting beside Isabel’s bassinet.
“You need to go back.”
Nathan looked at her.
“The board gave me seventy-two hours.”
“It’s been seventy.”
“I know.”
Emma sat carefully.
“You turned your phone off.”
“Yes.”
“You never turn your phone off.”
“I know.”
“Why now?”
Nathan looked at Isabel.
“Because I missed the first thirty-six weeks.”
His voice lowered.
“I wasn’t going to miss her first three days because Douglas thinks every problem becomes fatal if I don’t answer within five minutes.”
Emma studied him.
“You still have responsibilities.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want Isabel growing up thinking love means abandoning every other part of your life.”
Nathan nodded.
“Neither do I.”
He turned his phone on.
Forty-seven missed calls.
One hundred twelve messages.
Nathan almost laughed.
The first message from Helen contained the real problem.
A reporter had obtained internal emails showing Whitmore crisis staff discussing ways to locate Emma.
One message mentioned using “corporate intelligence resources.”
Another suggested identifying her physician through insurance records.
Emma read over Nathan’s shoulder.
Her face went white.
“They tried to access my medical information?”
Nathan’s expression hardened.
“I don’t know whether they succeeded.”
“But they discussed it.”
“Yes.”
Emma stood.
Pain crossed her face from the incision.
Nathan immediately moved forward.
She raised a hand.
“Don’t.”
He stopped.
“This is what I was afraid of.”
“I know.”
“Your world doesn’t hear no.”
Nathan said nothing.
“It hears obstacle.”
“I know.”
“Your board thinks my location belongs to them.”
“I know.”
Emma’s eyes filled.
“And now our daughter exists.”
Nathan looked toward Isabel.
Something changed in him.
Not panic.
Decision.
“I’m going back tomorrow.”
Emma stiffened.
Nathan continued.
“I’m going to end this.”
“How?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“That’s comforting.”
“But I promise you one thing.”
Emma’s eyes sharpened.
Nathan corrected himself immediately.
“No.”
He shook his head.
“Not promise.”
He looked at her.
“I will not ask you to trust what I’m going to do.”
May you like
“Then what?”
“Watch.”
