- 13 hours ago
The Emerald Heiress Exclusive
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00:00my face in front of his entire family his mistress was wearing my mother's necklace
00:05and all i said was does anyone have a pen the blackwell family dining room went silent
00:1132 people sat around the long mahogany table derek's parents his uncles cousins and of course
00:18vanessa hale the woman currently hanging on my husband's arm like a designer accessory
00:23she was wearing the emerald necklace my late mother had left me the one i had kept locked in
00:30my bedroom safe derek blackwell my husband of five years stood at the head of the table with his jaw
00:37clenched did you hear me aurelia i want a divorce sign the papers i stared at the document in front
00:45of me standard terms no alimony no asset division just a clean exit as if five years of marriage
00:52could be erased like a typo she's probably in shock vanessa whispered loud enough for everyone to hear
00:57poor thing where will she even go derek's mother constance sipped her wine without looking at me
01:04it's for the best dear you were never really one of us i had married into the blackwell family when
01:09i
01:09was 22. fresh out of college no family left no connections derek had seemed kind back then gentle
01:17the kind of man who opened doors and remembered your coffee order i didn't know he'd been sleeping
01:22with vanessa for three of our five years together i didn't know his mother had handpicked vanessa as
01:28his real match from the start and they certainly didn't know who i actually was well derek crossed
01:33his arms are you gonna sign or just sit there i picked up the pen the room collectively held its
01:39breath not out of sympathy but anticipation they wanted me gone i signed my name in smooth unhurried
01:47strokes then i set the pen down and looked up at derek i'll have my lawyers finalize this by morning
01:52but the necklace on your girlfriend's neck belongs to me i'd like it back vanessa's hand flew to the
01:58emerald derek gave this to me it's mine now derek gave you something that was never his to give
02:04derek stepped forward his voice dropping don't make a scene aurelia just leave with whatever dignity
02:10you have left dignity i almost laughed i stood straightened my dress and looked at every single
02:18face around that table not one of them would meet my eyes thank you for dinner constance the roast was
02:26dry as always i walked toward the door behind me i heard vanessa giggle finally i thought she'd never
02:34leave then derek's voice low but clear make sure she doesn't take anything from the house i want her
02:40out by midnight i paused at the threshold oh derek one more thing what you might want to check the
02:48financial news tomorrow morning it's going to be a very interesting day for blackwell industries
02:52the door clicked shut behind me and not a single person at that table understood what i meant
03:10yes the night air hit my face as i stepped outside the blackwell estate my phone buzzed 12 missed calls
03:27from the same number i called back mrs grayson the voice on the other end was clipped professional
03:34we've been trying to reach you the board is waiting for your final conferation it's mr ashford now i
03:41corrected and yes proceed with the acquisition understood the blackwell industries takeover will be
03:47finalized at market open shall i notify the press not yet let them enjoy their last peaceful night
03:55i ended the call and stood in the driveway staring at the fleet of luxury cars parked outside porsches
04:01range rovers a bentley my car was parked at the far end a simple black sedan nothing flashy
04:08what the blackwells didn't know was that the nobody orphan they had mocked for five years was the sole heir
04:14to ashford capital the largest private equity firm on the east coast my father had built it from nothing
04:20when my parents died in a plane crash during my senior year of high school i had inherited everything
04:26the lawyers the board the billions all held in trust until i turned 21 i had chosen to keep it
04:33hidden
04:33i wanted a normal life a real marriage someone who loved me for me not my net worth what a
04:40joke that
04:40turned out to be i had spent five years cooking dinner attending constance's insufferable garden parties
04:46and smiling while the blackwells treated me like the help all because i loved derrick or rather i loved
04:53who i thought he was my phone buzzed again a text from an unknown number aurelia it's vanessa
05:01derrick wanted me to remind you be out by midnight and leave the house keys on the counter
05:08thanks sweetheart i stared at the message then i typed back the house is in my name check the deed
05:15you have 48 hours to vacate i hit send silenced my phone and drove away tomorrow derrick blackwell
05:24would wake up and discover that his wife his boring invisible powerless wife had just bought
05:30his family's entire company and she wasn't feeling merciful
05:52by 9 a.m the next morning it was all over the financial news ashford capital combelt's hostile
05:59takeover of blackwell industries sources confirm new majority shareholder is former blackwell family
06:06member my phone had been ringing non-stop since 6 a.m i let it ring i was sitting in
06:12the corner office
06:13on the 40th floor of the ashford capital building in manhattan sipping coffee and reviewing the final
06:18acquisition documents my assistant leo knocked twice before entering mrs ashford the blackwell family's
06:26attorney has called seven times derrick blackwell himself has called 14 times he paused and constance
06:33blackweck is in the lobby she's demanding to see you i set my coffee down constance is here
06:39already she arrived 20 minutes ago security is holding her at reception i leaned back in my chair
06:46send her up leo hesitated are you sure absolutely i want to see her face five minutes later constance
06:55blackwell stepped into my office she looked immaculate as always chanel suit pearl earrings not a
07:02hair out of place but her eyes were wild darting around the massive corner office as if she had
07:07walked into a trap her voice was strained what is this some kind of sick joke good morning constance
07:16please sit down she didn't sit you bought our company you the woman who couldn't even pick the
07:24right wine at dinner i always pick the right wine you just never had the palate to appreciate it
07:31this is her face reddened there's no way you have this kind of money who's backing you
07:37who put you up to this i slid a folder across the desk ashford capital founded by my father richard
07:43ashfield current net worth north of 12 billion sole heir me constance opened the folder as she read
07:53the color slowly drained from her face this can't be right it's been verified by three independent
08:00auditors and the sec would you like their numbers her hands trembled she closed the folder and looked up
08:06at me with an expression i had never seen on her face before fear what do you want aurelia i
08:12smiled
08:13i want my mother's necklace back and i want a formal public apology from your family and if we refuse
08:19i tilted my head then i'll liquidate blackwell industries by friday every asset every property
08:27every trust fund your family depends on i paused including derrick's connelton script the armrest of her
08:34chair you wouldn't constance you spent five years telling me i was nothing that i should be grateful
08:41your son even looked at me i leaned forward do i look like i'm bluffing the silence that followed
08:49was deafening finally constance stood her composure barely intact i'll speak with the family you have
08:56until five p.m today she turned to leave then stopped at the door without looking back she asked
09:02quietly did you ever actually love my son the question caught me off guard i paused then answered
09:08honestly more than he deserved the door closed behind her i echo hailed slowly my calm exterior cracking
09:17just slightly then leo's voice came through the intercom mrs ashfield there's one more visitor he
09:24doesn't have an appointment but he says it's urgent who is it derrick blackwell he's on his way up
09:29and ma'am leo's voice dropped he's not alone he brought vanessa and she's still wearing your mother's necklace
09:44the elevator doors opened and derek walked in like he still owned the world his jaw was set his
09:50shoulders squared every inch of him radiating the arrogance i had once mistaken for confidence
09:55vanessa trailed behind him in a red dress that probably cost more than most people's rent my mother's
10:01emerald glittering against her collarbone like a stolen crown they both stopped cold when they saw the name
10:06on my office door aurelia ashford ceo ashford capital derrick's mask tin he recovered shoving
10:13his hands into his pockets with forced casualness so it's true his voice was flat you've been hiding
10:22this the entire time i didn't stand didn't offer them a seat hiding implies i owed you the truth
10:29i didn't vanessa clutched derrick's arm her eyes sweeping the corner office the floor-to-ceiling
10:35windows overlooking manhattan the original basquiat on the wall the quiet unmistakable scent of real
10:41power for the first time she looked unsure of herself derrick pulled out a chair without being
10:45invited and sat across from me let's cut the theatrics aurelia you're angry i get it but buying my family's
10:54company that's not justice that's revenge and throwing divorce papers at my face in front of your
11:00entire family while your mistress wore my dead mother's jewelry what was that rowans he flinched
11:08good here's what's going to happen derrick i opened a leather portfolio on my desk i now hold 62 of
11:14blackwell industries that makes me the majority shareholder as of this morning i've frozen all
11:21executive accounts pending a full financial audit derrick's face went white you froze our accounts
11:26your company's accounts they're my company's accounts now vanessa stepped forward you can't
11:33do this derrick's family built that company over three generations and your boyfriend nearly
11:42bankrupted it in two years i pulled out a financial report and placed it on the desk blackwell industries
11:48has been hemorrhaging money since derrick took over as coo exposed derivatives positions
11:52honorized loans a 12 million dollar marketing expense that traces directly to a villa in the
11:58south of france i looked at vanessa your villa i believe vanessa's mouth opened then closed derrick
12:04shot to his feet that's confidential financial data how did you i own the company derrick
12:14nothing is confidential from me the room went very still derrick stared at me as if seeing me for
12:20the first time not the quiet wife who folded his laundry and tolerated his mother's insults
12:25not the woman he had so easily discarded his voice was hoarse what do you want i already told your
12:32mother the necklace a public apology and i want vanessa out of every property connected to blackwell
12:38industries including the villa vanessa let out a sharp laugh you're delusional derrick
12:46tell her shut up vanessa she recorded as if she'd been slapped derrick's hands were shaking he pressed
12:53them flat against the desk leaning forward and if i agree to all of that you'll return control of the
13:00company i studied him for a long moment no his face crumbled the company stays with me consider it the
13:09alimony you didn't think i deserved i closed the portfolio you have until five o'clock after that i begin
13:16liquidation proceedings aurelia derrick looked like a man watching his house five years
13:22doesn't that mean anything to you i held his gaze without blinking it meant everything to me derrick
13:30that's why this hurts you so much
13:33because you're only now realizing it meant nothing to you he had no response i pressed the intercom
13:41leo please escort mr blackwell and his guest to the elevator derrick said slowly mechanically he turned
13:47our door this isn't over i smiled for you it was over the moment you handed me that pen the
13:54door closed
13:55i sat in silence for exactly 10 seconds then leo's voice returned ashford i have an update derek's car
14:02is still in the parking garage but vanessa just got into a separate vehicle a black mercedes it's
14:07registered to someone named roman corsetti my hand froze on the desk roman corsetti the one name in
14:14this city i had spent five years avoiding ems ashford are you all right i let out a slow breath
14:21leo
14:22pull everything we have on corsetti holdings every subsidiary every board member every transaction in
14:28the last six months may i ask why because roman corsetti was the only man alive who knew exactly
14:33who i was before i became aurelia ashford before the inheritance before the walls i had built around
14:39myself and if vanessa was connected to him this wasn't just a messy divorce anymore just do it and leo
14:46yes
14:46cancel my afternoon something tells me it's about to get a lot more complicated
14:56by noon leo had assembled a full dossier on corsetti holdings i spread the documents across
15:03my desk scanning each page with the precision of someone defusing a bomb roman corsetti age 34
15:09inherited his father's mid-tier real estate empire at 26 and tripled its value in under five years
15:15on paper he was a legitimate businessman commercial developments luxury hotels a philanthropic
15:22foundation but i knew better the corsetti family had deep roots in old money networks that didn't show
15:28up on any balance sheet the kind of connections that could make a corporation vanish overnight
15:33or bury a scandal so deep it would never surface roman and i had history not the kind i ever
15:39talked
15:39about we had met seven years ago before my parents died before i inherited ashford capital
15:44before i made the catastrophic decision to marry derek blackwell i was 20 studying abroad in london and
15:50roman was the brooding italian american who sat in the back of my economics lecture and never took notes
15:55but aced every exam we had been inseparable for one semester then my parents plane went down and i
16:01disappeared from everyone's life including his i never explained never said goodbye just vanished and now
16:07vasahale my ex-husband's mistress was climbing into his car leo i didn't look up from the file what's
16:14vanessa's connection to corsetti leo pulled up a tablet according to social media vanessa's work
16:19briefly as an event coordinator for corsetti holdings about two years ago there are photos
16:25of her at several corsetti hosted gallus there is also a rumor unconfirmed that she and roman were
16:32romantically involved before she started seeing derek my stomach tightened so vanessa had gone from roman's
16:38orbit to derrick's bed and now she was running back the question was why before i could dig deeper
16:44my desk phone rang the caller id read front desk security ems ashford there's a delivery for you
16:52no sender name the security team has already screened it a box send it up two minutes later leo placed
17:01a
17:01matte black box on my desk no card no label just a small gold clasp i opened it inside besting
17:08on
17:08black velvet was a single white chess piece a queen my blood went cold only one person had ever called
17:14me that a private joke from a london cafe over cheap espresso and a borrowed chess set you always play
17:20queen
17:20first roman had said most people protect their queen you use yours as a weapon that's because most
17:28people don't understand power he had laughed a low warm sound i hadn't heard in seven years i closed the
17:34box leo where did this come from the courier service says it was ordered this morning paid in cash no
17:44traceable origin i placed the chess piece on my desk sane he knew about the blackwell takeover and he was
17:50letting me know in his own insufferably cryptic way that he was watching my phone buzzed a text from
17:56an unknown number hello queen it has been a while guy typed back without hesitation what do you want
18:02roman three dots appeared disappeared appeared again then dinner tonight tonight 8 pm you know the
18:09place guy didn't know the place a small italian restaurant on the lower east side that we used
18:14to frequent in the summers when he visited new york the kind of place with checkered tablecloths and
18:19a 70 year old owner who made pasta by hand every instinct told me to ignore the message but roman
18:25corsetti didn't reach out without reason if nessa was connected to him i needed to know how deep it
18:30went and whether the blackwell mess was bigger than a cheating husband in a stolen necklace i picked up
18:36the chess piece turning it slowly between my fingers then i typed i'll be there at 8. don't be late
18:41his response was immediate guy never late you are the one who disappeared guy set the phone down
18:47this was no longer just about derek
18:55the restaurant hadn't changed same bed checkered tablecloths same dim lighting same scent of garlic
19:02and fresh basil heavy in the air even the old owner sal was still there shuffling between tables with a
19:07dish towel over his shoulder i arrived at 7 55 roman was already seated in the back corner our old
19:14table
19:14he looked up the moment i walked in as if he had sensed me before he saw me seven years
19:19had sharpened
19:19his features the boyish edges were gone replaced by a jaw that could cut glass and eyes so dark they
19:25swallowed the candlelight his suit was charcoal no top relaxed controlled dangerous you're early he said
19:31you said don't be late i sat across from him i'm never late either a ghost of a smile you've
19:37changed
19:38everyone changes his gaze moved over my face not like this as if cataloging every difference the aurelia
19:44i knew wouldn't have bought a company just to punish a man the aurelia you knew also wouldn't have married
19:50one who deserved punishing he leaned back studying me fair point sal appeared with a bottle of midwine
19:56the same barola we used to order he poured two glasses without asking patted roman on the shoulder and
20:02disappeared i didn't touch my glass let's skip the nostalgia why am i here because you want to
20:12know why vanessa hale got into my car this morning that was new the roman i remembered preferred to
20:17circle a topic like a hawk before diving so you know i'm watching i know everything aurelia
20:25i've known where you were for the past five years i knew when you married blackwell
20:30i knew when he started cheating his voice didn't change but something flickered behind his eyes
20:37i knew when you filed the acquisition paperwork three months ago he months he had known for three
20:42months if you knew all of that i said carefully then why didn't you interfere he lifted his glass
20:49because you didn't want me to
20:52you made that very clear when you vanished without a word seven years ago
20:57zation landed like a blade between my ribs i held his gaze i had my reasons he drank set the
21:03glass
21:03down i'm sure you did but that's not why we're here tonight then why vanessa came to me this
21:11afternoon with a proposal she wants me to help derek blackwell challenge the takeover she claims the
21:17acquisition was done using insider information and that she has documents to prove it my jaw tightened
21:23that's a lie i know it's a lie the question is who gave her the idea vanessa isn't smart enough
21:30to fabricate a legal strategy on her own someone is coaching her i thought for a moment derek's lawyers
21:39no i had my people check the blackwell legal team is scrambling they didn't see this coming any more
21:46than derek did roman leaned forward lowering his voice there's a third party involved aurelia
21:53someone who wants blackwell industries and they're using vanessa as a pawn to destabilize your position
22:01a chill crawled up my spine who roman reached into his jacket and placed a single photograph on the table
22:08i looked down it was a photo of vanessa at a private dinner seated next to a silver-haired man
22:14in his 60s i recognized him instantly victor hale vanessa's father and one of the most ruthless
22:20corporate raiders on wall street vanessa isn't just derek's mistress roman said she was planted
22:26her father has been eyeing blackwell industries for over a year the affair the divorce the chaos
22:33it was all engineered to weaken the company's value before a hostile bit i stared at the photograph
22:39everything i thought i understood about the last five years shifted rearranged collapsed and rebuilt
22:45itself into something far uglier derek doesn't know i whispered derek is an idiot roman said flatly but no
22:52he doesn't know roman watched me in silence then spoke again victor hale's bid is set to go through
22:59in 72 hours if he succeeds he won't just take blackwell industries he'll use it as leverage to
23:05go after ashford capital's commercial real estate portfolio my portfolio my father's legacy i set the
23:11glass down hard enough to rattle the silverware then i have 72 hours to destroy him roman's lips curved
23:17not quite a smile but close you'll need help i don't need anyone's help you don't need it he agreed
23:24but you'd be a fool to refuse it we stared at each other across the table the candlelight flickering
23:31between us seven years of silence seven years of questions neither of us had asked and now sitting
23:37across from the only man who had ever truly known me i realized something terrifying i did it and that
23:43was the most dangerous thing of all i didn't sleep that night by 2 a.m i was in ashford
23:52capitol's war room
23:53a windowless conference space on the 41st floor that most employees didn't even know existed
23:58screens lined every wall financial data streamed in real time leo had assembled a small trusted team
24:05our chief legal counsel margaret wu head of acquisitions james alcott and priya sharma our
24:10forensic accountant who could trace a dollar through 17 shell companies i laid out everything roman had
24:16told me when i finished the room was silent margaret spoke first if victor hale files a competing
24:21acquisition claim within 72 hours will be locked in a legal battle that could take months during
24:28that time a judge could freeze our controlling shares james added freeze our shares which is
24:33exactly what he wants tank the stock price then swoop in with a lowball offer priya pulled up a screen
24:40i've already started tracing vanessa's hale's financial records she has accounts in three offshore
24:45jurisdictions sem the caymans lachenstein and singapore all open within the last 18 months i noted
24:53right around the time she started dating derrick exactly and look at this zoomed in on a series of
24:59wire transfers monthly payments from a trust fund registered to hail industries routed through two
25:05intermediary accounts landing in vanessa's personal account 50 000 a month margaret leaned forward she was
25:13being paid to seduce derrick blackwell the words hung in the air like smoke i thought about derrick
25:19stupid vain unfaithful derrick and felt unexpected pang of something not sympathy exactly more like the
25:26grim recognition that we have both been played there's more priya switched screen six weeks ago vanessa's
25:32made a large withdrawal in two hundred thousand dollars ian and transferred it to a legal firm kessler
25:38and briggs james whistled that's victor hale's personal attack dog firm they specialize in hostile
25:46takeover litigation so the legal challenge is already in motion i said priya's voice was tight
25:53kessler briggs filed a sealed motion yesterday afternoon i couldn't access the contents but the
25:59case number is linked to blackwell industries 72 hours had been optimistic victor hale was already ahead of us
26:06i pressed my palms flat against the table options margaret didn't hesitate we need to prove that vanessa
26:12was acting as an agent of hail industries when she infiltrated the blackwell family if we can
26:19demonstrate that victor austrated the affair to manipulate blackwell industries stock price that's
26:25securities fraud it would invalidate any competing bid can we prove it with these financial records
26:32it's a strong start but we need more we need testimony from someone inside hail industries who
26:38can confirm victor's involvement a whistle or i murmured or someone with leverage james suggested
26:45someone who owes us a favor sam or who has their own reason to want victor hale taken down my
26:51phone
26:52buzzed a text from roman asterisk breakfast tomorrow i have something you need to see asterisk i stared at the
26:58message then looked at my team keep digging i want every transaction every communication
27:04every connection between victor hale and the blackwell family mapped out by morning as they disperse
27:08ems ashford can i ask you something personal go ahead roman corsetti
27:15can you trust him it was the right question the smart question i don't know i admit it but right
27:20now
27:21he's the only person outside this room who knows what victor hale is planning
27:27and he came to me before i came to him leo nodded slowly just be careful corsetti has his own
27:33interest
27:33everyone does i thought about the white chess piece still sitting on my desk i know leo believe me i
27:41know
27:45wellman was waiting at the same restaurant same table same burolo already poured you look like
27:50you haven't slept he said as i sat down i haven't talk he slid a manila envelope across the table
27:57victor
27:57hale held a private meeting last night with three blackwell industries board members he's offering them
28:01personal buyouts in exchange for voting against your acquisition at the next shareholder meeting i opened the
28:05envelope inside were photographs time stamped high resolution showing victor shaking hands with board
28:12members i recognized how did you get these i have people everywhere aurelia you know that i studied
28:19the photos if these three vote against me combined with the shares hale is accumulating through shell
28:26companies he'll have enough to force a revote on the acquisition and with a sympathetic judge he could
28:32get an injunction within days i close the envelope then i need to get to these board members before
28:37he does jerald foss is a lost cause he's been on hale's payroll for years i have the records to
28:42prove
28:43it diana chu is wavering she's loyal to the blackwell name but she's terrified of victor and martin
28:48kemp roma martin is the key he holds the swing vote and he's old school he won't be bought but
28:55he can be convinced if someone he respects makes the case who does he respect wellman held my gaze your
29:01father martin and richard ashford were close friends he was at your parents funeral a sharp
29:07ache bloomed in my chest i pushed it down i'll meet with martin today roman reached into his jacket and
29:14produced i thought you might say that his private number he's expecting a call from me sem but hearing
29:21from you will carry more weight i took the card our fingers brushed neither of us pulled away immediately
29:27why are you helping me roman the question i've been avoiding what's in this for you he was quiet
29:33for a long moment victor hale destroyed a friend of mine a man named elliot graves ran a development
29:40firm in boston planted someone close to him engineered a scandal gutted his company and bought the remains
29:46for pennies roman's voice was steady but i could hear the steel beneath it elliot killed himself six
29:51months later the restaurant noise faded to a murmur i've been waiting for the right moment to bring
29:56victor down roman continued when i saw what he was doing to blackwell industries and realized you were
30:02the one standing in his way i knew the moment had arrived so i'm a means to an end you're
30:07the only
30:08person i've ever met who's smart enough ruthless enough and well resourced enough to beat him he leaned
30:14forward and you happen to be the one person i couldn't bring myself to forget the words landed somewhere
30:19deep in a place i'd spent seven years trying to wall off i stood tugging the ombre my arm i'll
30:25call
30:25martin this afternoon aurelia i stopped when this is over sim and it will end one way or another you
30:33and
30:33i have a conversation that's seven years overdue i didn't turn around one war at a time roman but as
30:40i walked out into the morning light my heart was beating fast for it
30:48martin camp lived in a brownstone on the upper west side the kind with original crown molding and
30:54a library that smelled like pipe tobacco and old leather he opened the door himself no butler no
31:00assistant just a 70 year old man in a cardigan reading glasses perched on his nose he said my name
31:07like he was tasting something bittersweet aurelia ashford you look just like your mother something
31:13cracked inside me i held it together mr kemp thank you for seeing me he led me to his study
31:19gestured
31:20to a worn armchair and sat across from me a framed photograph on his desk showed him shaking hands with
31:26my father at some long ago charity gala he said without preamble i watched you take over blackwell
31:34industries bold move richard would have been proud i'm not sure about that i am he studied me over his
31:43glasses your father never did anything halfway neither it seems do you i pulled out the photographs roman
31:51had given me and placed them on the desk victor hale is coming for my acquisition he's already turned
31:57gerald foss and he's working on diana chew you're the swing vote mr kemp martin looked at the photos
32:06his expression didn't change but his fingers tightened around his teacup victor hale is a snake he said
32:13simply i've known that for 30 years then you know what he'll do if he gets control of blackwell industries
32:19he'll strip it sell off the assets and use the proceeds to launch a broader attack including
32:26against ashford capital martin set down his tea you're asking me to vote in your favor at the
32:32shareholder meeting i'm asking you to do what's right he was quiet for a long time the clock on the
32:38wall ticked steadily there's something you should know he said at last victor came to see me two days ago
32:47he didn't offer me money he offered me something far more personal my pulse quickened
32:56what martin reached into a drawer and pulled out a document he placed it on the desk between us
33:02it was a medical report his name was at the top the diagnosis line read ever staged the third pancreatic
33:09cancer martin said his voice steady victor somehow obtained my medical records he told me he has
33:16connections to an experimental treatment program in switzerland he's using your illness as leverage my
33:27blood ran cold he's offering pancreatic cancer martin said his voice steady victor somehow obtained my
33:34medical records he told me he has connections to an experimental treatment program in switzerland
33:42one that isn't available through normal channels he's using your illness as leverage my blood ran cold
33:48he's offering me extra time with my grandchildren in exchange for my vote martin smiled sadly it's the
33:54cruelest kind of bribery the kind that almost works i sat forward mr chem i can get you into that
34:03program
34:04ashford capital has a biomedical investment division we fund three of the top oncology research centers in
34:11europe i can make a call today his eyes sharpened don't offer me something just to buy my vote aurelia
34:19that would make you no different from victor i held his gaze i'm not buying your vote i'm telling
34:26you that you have options victor doesn't want you to know about your vote is yours
34:30whatever you decide i'll make that call regardless martin stared at me for a long moment then he leaned
34:38back and let out a breath that seemed to carry the weight of decades your father once told me that
34:44the
34:45measure of a person isn't what they do when they have power it's what they refuse to do he picked
34:52up
34:52the phone on his desk and dialed diana it's martin we need to talk about the shareholder meeting i sat
35:03in
35:03silence listening as the tide began to turn the next 48 hours were a controlled demolition martin kemp
35:14called diana chu and whatever he said convinced her to hold her vote with diana locked down victor's
35:20path to a majority collapsed unless he could find another way in he found one at 3 pm on the
35:26second
35:26day kessler and briggs filed an emergency injunction claiming that my acquisition of blackwell industries
35:31had been conducted using material non-public information insider trading the accusation was
35:36absurd every piece of data i'd used was publicly available but the filing triggered an automatic sec view
35:42and until the review was complete my shares would be frozen victor hale didn't need to win the case
35:48the judge granted a temporary restraining order your voting rights are suspended pending
35:53investigation how long could be weeks could be months victor's lawyers are going to drag this out
36:00as long as possible i turned to priya the offshore accounts vanessa's payments tell me you have
36:07everything documented stamus did verified and cross-referenced priya confirmed but it's not enough
36:14for the sec we need direct evidence something on at buix my phone buzzed we need to meet now not
36:24the
36:24restaurant my office 30 minutes later i was in the corsetti holding on park avenue roman's office was
36:31sparse dark wood minimal furniture a wall of windows overlooking the city he was standing when i walked in
36:38his expression grin vented victor filed the injunction i know but that's not why i called
36:45you here he turned a laptop screen toward me one of my people intercepted this an hour it was an
36:51audio
36:51recording he pressed play victor hale's voice filled the room crisp and unmistakable the sec filing is
36:58just a delay tactic once ashford shares are frozen we move to phase two i want blackwell industry stock
37:03below twelve dollars by end a week use the singapore account to short the position and make sure vanessa
37:07keeps derrick occupied a second voice male unfamiliar responded what about corsetti he's been seen with
37:15the ashford woman victor laughed roman corsetti is a sentimental fool he thinks he's protecting her
37:20by the time he realizes what's actually happening it'll be too late recording ended i looked at roman what
37:25does he mean what's actually happening that's what concerns me roman's jaw tightened victor isn't
37:32just going after blackwell industries it's all a smokescreen for what he pulled up a document on his
37:39screen my forensic team found this a subsidiary called orion ventures its sole purpose is to acquire
37:46distressed commercial real estate assets i scanned the filing then i saw it a list of target properties
37:5223 buildings across manhattan boston and dc every single one was owned by ashford capital he's not
37:58trying to take blackwell industries he's trying to bankrupt me blackwell is just the weapon roman nod
38:05if he crashes blackwell's stock while your shares are frozen it triggers a margin call on ashford
38:10capital's leverage positions you'd be forced to sell assets at firevale price and orion ventures would
38:15be waiting to buy every building your father ever owned i stood at the window staring out at the city
38:21my
38:21father had helped build five years ago i had walked away from my name my fortune my legacy all for
38:28a man
38:29who never deserved me i had what that dream was dead but my father's legacy wouldn't die with it
38:35i turned back to roman the recording can it hold up in court it was obtained through surveillance
38:42not a wiretap warrant admissibility is questionable hold out my phone then we don't take it to court
38:49we take it to the sec directly combined with priya's financial trail it's enough to trigger a full
38:54investigation into hail industries victor won't be able to execute his plan if his own assets are
38:58frozen roman you want to use his own tactic against him he taught me a valuable lesson you don't need
39:05to win the war you just need to make sure your enemy can't fight for the first time roman smiled
39:11a real
39:12smile not the guarded half curve i'd seen before there she is he murmured the queen i remember ignored
39:17the way my pulse stuttered call your lawyer we file tomorrow morning he picked up his phone already done
39:24one more thing what derek called me an hour ago he knows about victor's plan he wants to meet with
39:33derek
39:33called you he's desperate vanessa cleaned out his personal accounts this morning and disappeared
39:39he's broke humiliated and finally starting to understand what happened to him i thought about
39:44the man who had thrown divorce papers at my face three days ago and will you tell him i'll think
39:49about it i picked up my coat that depends on whether he's ready to do exactly what i tell him
39:59derek blackwell showed up at ashford capital the next morning looking like a man who hadn't slept
40:04showered or eaten in days his suit was wrinkled his eyes were bloodshot the arrogant tilt of his chin was
40:12gone replaced by something i had never once seen on his face humility leo escorted him to my office
40:19i didn't offer him a seat this time either but he didn't try to take one he just stood in
40:25front of my
40:25desk hands at his sides a really his voice cracked on my name i know i don't deserve to be
40:31here you're
40:32right you don't sit down he sat
40:41vanessa's gone he said she emptied my accounts personal savings the joint account even the
40:47emergency fund my mother set up three hundred thousand dollars gone overnight i know his head
40:54snapped up you know i know everything derek i've known about vanessa's real identity for two days now
41:02i opened a folder and placed it in front of him vanessa halio daughter of victor hale ceo of hale
41:10industries she was planted in your life to destabilize blackwell industries so her father
41:16could execute a hostile takeover derek read the documents with each page the color drained further
41:22from his face the affair the divorce it was all injured yes he looked up at me and for the
41:30first
41:30time in five years i saw the man i had once married not the arrogant heir not the unfaithful husband
41:37just
41:37a lost broken person who had been used why are you showing me this because i need your help
41:44he blinked my help after everything i did to you victor hale filed an ssc complaint to freeze my shares
41:54if i can't vote at the shareholder meeting he wins but there's one thing he didn't account for
42:00what you you still hold eight percent of blackwell industries through your personal trust
42:06it's the one asset vanessa couldn't touch because it's locked in a generational trust with a morality
42:11clause derek stared you want me to vote with you i want you to stand up in front of the
42:17board
42:17tell them exactly what happened and vote to ratify my acquisition your testimony combined with the
42:23evidence my team has assembled will be enough to lift the injunction and destroy victor's case
42:28and if i do this victor will come after me victor is going to come after you regardless derek
42:35he used you he doesn't need you anymore the only question is whether you go down as his puppet
42:43or stand up as someone who fought back the silence stretched and then derek did something i never
42:51expected he laughed a hollow bitter sound you know what's funny my mother always said you weren't
42:58good enough for me that you had no ambition no vision she said vanessa was better he met my eyes
43:06and now now i'm sitting in your office in your building asking for your help
43:11and you're the only person in the world willing to give it to me i didn't feel satisfaction i didn't
43:16feel vindication i just felt tired the shareholder meeting is in 36 hours i said my legal team will
43:23prepare your statement you'll need to review it tonight he stood i'll do it aurelia what i'm sorry
43:35not because i need something from you because i should have said it a long time ago i held his
43:42gaze
43:42for a moment then nodded once and now he left leo appeared in the doorway do you believe him it
43:50doesn't matter if i believe him it matters if the board does my phone buzzed roman victor knows about
43:58the sec filing he is accelerating the shareholder meeting may be moved up i typed back how soon
44:05tomorrow 9 a.m 36 hours had just become 12.
44:13i didn't panic panic was a luxury i couldn't afford by midnight my war room was fully operational
44:22margaret had derek's testimony drafted priya had the financial evidence packaged into a presentation
44:27that even a first-year law student could follow james had contacted every friendly shareholder to
44:33confirm their attendance roman arrived at 1am with two cups of coffee and a flash drive
44:39what's on it i asked victor's communications with gerald foss going back 18 months
44:44emails text recorded phone calls my people attained them through foss's former assistant she quit last
44:49month and was more than happy to cooperate i plugged in the drive the contents were devastating
44:54victor had been coordinating with foss to inflate and then crash blackwell industries stock timing the
45:00manipulation to coincide with keyboard decisions this is securities fraud margaret said reading over
45:07my shoulder clear documented undeniable securities fraud it's enough to get foss removed from the board
45:14and potentially arrested priya added which means his vote is invalidated i turned to roman if foss's
45:23vote is thrown out and derek votes with us you have a super majority the acquisition is locked
45:29victor can't touch it for the first time in days i felt something loosen in my chest but roman's
45:35expression remained guarded there's a complication of course there was victor filed a motion to have
45:42the meeting held at a neutral location the hail industries conference center in midtown the judge
45:48approved it an hour ago james swore under his breath he wants us on his turf it's a power play
45:54roman said he
45:55wants to intimidate the board members surround them with his people his security his atmosphere
46:02i stood pacing the length of the room then we show up with something he doesn't expect which is
46:09i looked at roman everything we walk in with the financial evidence derrick's testimony foss's
46:14communications and the audio recording we don't hold anything back we put it all on the table and let the
46:19board decide the recording may not be admissible in court this isn't court it's a shareholder meeting
46:27the rules of evidence don't apply we just need the board to hear victor hale in his own words admitting
46:32to mark manipulation roman considered this then he nodded slowly it's aggressive victor hale planted a
46:40woman in my husband's bed to steal my father's legacy aggressive is the least of what i'm going to be
46:46the room was quiet then margaret smiled i'll have everything ready by 7 am
46:54priya james i want backup copies of every document on encrypted drives if anything happens to the originals
47:00we don't lose a thing and me roman asked i met his eyes you'll be there front row i want
47:08victor to
47:09see you and know exactly whose side you're on something passed between us unspoken electric and
47:15entirely too complicated for a night like this front row it is he said quietly everyone filed out roman lingered
47:27aurelia roman if you're about to give me a motivational speech i was gonna say you have
47:32coffee on your sleeve i looked down he was right for the first time in days i laughed he smiled
47:39that
47:39rare real smile and something in the room shifted the air felt lighter warmer get some sleep he said
47:48tomorrow you end this tomorrow we end this he held my gaze for one heartbeat two three then he left
47:58and i sat alone in the war room surrounded by evidence of betrayal and greed and allowed myself
48:04just for a moment to feel something other than fury hope
48:11the hail industries conference center was a monument to intimidation marble floors 40-foot ceilings
48:18security personnel stationed at efferick entrance victor hail had designed this building to make
48:23everyone who entered feel small i walked through the front doors at 8 45 a.m with margaret leo and
48:30priya flanking me disharik arrived separately escorted by two of my security personnel roman was already inside
48:37seated in the front row of the observation gallery exactly as promised he wore a black suit and an
48:44expression of perfect calm victor hail sat at the head of the conference table like a king on his throne
48:50silver-haired sharp-eyed impeccably dressed he looked at me the way a cat looks at a mouse
48:57m's ashford his voice was smooth practice how kind of you to join us mr hale lovely building
49:04compensating for something a few board members coughed to hide their reactions the meeting was
49:10called to order the chair a neutral attorney appointed by the court outlined the agenda first
49:16item ratification of the ashford capital acquisition of blackwell industries victor's attorney a razor-thin
49:23man from kessler and briggs stood immediately before we proceed we'd like to enter into the record
49:29our formal objection to this acquisition on the grounds of if i may i interrupted standing
49:36before mr hale's attorney launches into what i'm sure is a very expensive objection
49:41i'd like to present some materials to the board the chair looked between us
49:45m's ashford this is somewhat irregular so is using your daughter as a honeypot to destroy a publicly traded
49:52company but here we are the room went dead silent victor's smile didn't waver but his eyes went flat
49:59cold like a shark's i nodded to priya who distributed folders to every board member
50:06inside you'll find documentation of a coordinated scheme by victor hale to manipulate the stock price
50:12of blackwell industries the scheme involved planting his daughter vanessa hale as an agent to
50:18infiltrate the blackwell family destabilize the company's leadership and create conditions for a
50:24hostile takeover i walked the board through every piece of evidence the offshore accounts the monthly
50:30payments the connection to kessler and briggs the orion ventures subsidiary the target list of ashford
50:37capital properties the board members faces shifted from skepticism to shock to barely concealed outrage
50:43then i played the audio recording victor's own voice filled the conference room every word every
50:50instruction every casual reference to treating people's lives like chess pieces when it ended the
50:57silence was suffocating victor hale stood slowly his composure was cracking not visibly not to anyone who
51:04didn't know what to look for but i saw the micro tremor in his right hand the slight flare of
51:09his nostrils
51:10this this recording was obtained illegally he said it's inadmissible this isn't a courtroom mr hale
51:19the chair's voice was firm and the financial documents corroborating the recording are more than
51:26sufficient i turned to derek mr blackwell derek stood he was pale but steady he looked at the board the
51:35people who had watched him grow up who had sat at his family's dinner table who had trusted his father
51:42everything miss ashford has presented is true he said i was manipulated by vanessa hale
51:49at her father's direction i take full responsibility for my failure to see it and i am formally casting my
51:57eight percent share in support of ashford capitol's acquisition gerald foss shot to his feet this is
52:03absurd you can't just mr foss i turned to him with a calm smile would you like me to share
52:12your
52:12communications with victor hale as well because i have 18 months of emails that suggest you've been
52:19acting as his inside man foss's mouth opened he sat down without another word the chair called for a
52:26vote one by one the board members voted martin kemp in favor deanna chu in favor derek blackwell in favor
52:35when the final count was read the acquisition was ratified by a super majority victor hale sat motionless
52:42his empire his scheme his carefully constructed house of cards had collapsed in under an hour
52:49i gathered my documents buttoned my jacket and paused beside his chair on my way out mr hale a
52:56piece of advice from one ceo to another he didn't look at me never underestimate a woman you tried to
53:02rob we don't just fight back i leaned in close enough to whisper we take everything i walked out of
53:11the
53:11conference room and into the morning light roman was waiting by the elevator he didn't say anything
53:17he just fell into step beside me we rode the elevator down in silence when the doors opened to the
53:23lobby i stopped roman yes that conversation you mentioned the one that's seven years overdue he
53:31turned to face me his dark eyes unreadable i'm ready to have it now and for the first time since
53:38this all
53:38began the look on his face wasn't guarded or strategic or careful it was just hopeful
53:48we went back to sale's restaurant it was 11 a.m on a tuesday the place was nearly empty sale
53:55took
53:55one look at us brought out two espressos and a chessboard and disappeared into the kitchen roman
54:00sat across from me his jacket off sleeves rolled to his forearms without the armor of a boardroom he
54:07looked younger almost like the man i'd known in london almost seven years he said seven years i echoed
54:14you left without a word one day you were there the next gone no call no letter nothing my parents
54:23had
54:23just died roman i inherited a 12 billion dollar company i didn't know existed in a legacy i wasn't
54:30prepared to carry i was 20 years old and the lawyers told me that anyone close to me could become
54:36a target so you pushed everyone away i pushed you away there's a difference you could have told me
54:45and what would you have done dropped everything followed me into a world of corporate warfare and
54:51billion dollar decisions you had your own family your own empire to build i would have been there aurelia
55:00that's what i would have done the simplicity of it broke something inside me i wrapped my hands
55:06around the espresso cup i made a choice i chose to disappear to build walls to handle everything alone
55:15and then i married derrick because i wanted to feel normal i wanted someone who didn't know about the
55:21money the money the name the weight of it and instead you got someone who didn't know you at all
55:29yes roman reached across the table your move he said i moved the queen first he smiled aurelia i'm not
55:37gonna pretend the last seven years didn't happen you hurt me deeply and i spent a long time being angry
55:45about it
55:46i know but i also spent that time building something corsetti holdings isn't just real estate anymore
55:56we have security divisions intelligence networks legal teams that rival any firm in the country
56:02i built all of it and some part of me built it because i i knew that one day you'd
56:10need someone in your
56:10corner who couldn't be bought threatened or broken i stared at the board my throat was tight that's
56:18either the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me or the most terrifying
56:26it's both i hoved upon he moved a knight what happens now i asked
56:34now victor hale faces an sec investigation potential criminal charges and the complete
56:40dismantling of his scheme vain sigh will surface eventually probably in a country without an
56:45extradition treaty derrick will spend the rest of his life trying to rebuild a reputation that may
56:50be beyond saving i meant with us roman's hand paused over the board i know what you meant he looked
56:58at
56:58me really looked at me and i saw everything he'd been holding back seven years of waiting seven years
57:04of watching from a distance seven years of building an empire partly just to be worthy of standing next
57:09to me i'm not proposing anything aurelia not tonight you just finished a war you need time to breathe
57:18i've been holding my breath for five years
57:22i'm done waiting to breathe something shifted in his eyes the guarded wall came down not all at once
57:29but enough enough for me to see the man behind the strategy the silence the chess moves
57:35then let's start with dinner he said a real one not a strategy session not an intelligence briefing
57:43just two people who spent too long pretending they don't need each other tomorrow night
57:50tonight his voice was soft i've waited long enough i looked at the chessboard between us
57:55then i reached over and tipped my king you're conceding he raised an eyebrow no i smiled i'm
58:02clearing the board we don't need a game between us anymore he held my gaze then slowly he reached
58:09across the table and took my hand his grip was warm steady real outside the city hummed with its
58:17relentless rhythm deals being made empires rising and falling people chasing power they'd never quite
58:22catch but in a tiny italian astraunt on the lower east side two people who had spent seven years
58:29running from each other finally stopped and for the first time in longer than i could remember
58:33i didn't feel like a queen or a ceo or someone's ex-wife i just felt like aurelia and that
58:42was enough
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