- 7 hours ago
The Emerald Heiress
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Short filmTranscript
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
00:58poor 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
01:10was 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
01:34his 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
01:53but 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 derek
02:05stepped forward his voice dropping don't make a scene aurelia just leave with whatever dignity you have
02:11left dignity i almost laughed i stood straightened my dress and looked at every single face around that
02:19table not one of them would meet my eyes thank you for dinner constance the roast was dry as always
02:27i walked toward the door behind me i heard vanessa giggle finally i thought she'd never leave
02:35then derek's voice low but clear make sure she doesn't take anything from the house i want
02:40her out by midnight i paused at the threshold oh derek one more thing what you might want to check
02:48the
02:48financial news tomorrow morning it's going to be a very interesting day for blackwell industries
02:53the door clicked shut behind me and not a single person at that table understood what i meant
03:00yes
03:11the door clicked shut behind me and not a single person at that table understood what i meant
03:20yes the night air hit my face as i stepped outside the blackwell estate
03:24my phone buzzed 12 missed calls from the same number i called back mrs grayson the voice on the
03:32other end was clipped professional we've been trying to reach you the board is waiting for your final
03:38confirmation it's mr ashford now i corrected and yes proceed with the acquisition understood
03:45the blackwell industries takeover will be finalized at market open
03:50shall i notify the press not yet let them enjoy their last peaceful night i ended the call and stood
03:57in the driveway staring at the fleet of luxury cars parked outside porsches range rovers a bentley
04:03my car was parked at the far end a simple black sedan nothing flashy what the blackwells didn't know was
04:10that the nobody orphan they had mocked for five years was the sole heir to ashford capital the largest
04:16private equity firm on the east coast my father had built it from nothing when my parents died in a
04:22plane crash during my senior year of high school i had inherited everything the lawyers the board the
04:28billions all held in trust until i turned 21. i had chosen to keep it hidden i wanted a normal
04:35life
04:35a real marriage someone who loved me for me not my net worth what a joke that turned out to
04:41be
04:41i had spent five years cooking dinner attending constance's insufferable garden parties and smiling
04:47while the blackwells treated me like the help all because i loved derek or rather i loved who i thought
04:54he was my phone buzzed again a text from an unknown number aurelia it's vanessa derek wanted me to remind
05:03you be out by midnight and leave the house keys on the counter thanks sweetheart i stared at the message
05:11then i typed back the house is in my name check the deed you have 48 hours to vacate i
05:18hit send silenced
05:20my phone and drove away tomorrow derek blackwell would wake up and discover that his wife his boring
05:27invisible powerless wife had just bought his family's entire company and she wasn't feeling merciful
05:40tomorrow derek blackwell would wake up and discover that his wife his boring invisible
05:45powerless wife had just bought his 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 hospital
06:00takeover 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 on
06:13the 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 derek 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
06:56blackwell stepped into my office she looked immaculate as always chanel suit pearl earrings
07:01not a hair out of place but her eyes were wild darting around the massive corner office as if she
07:07had
07:07walked into a trap aurelia her voice was strained what is this some kind of sick joke good morning
07:16constance please 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 this
07:32is
07:32fraud her face reddened there's no way you have this kind of money who's backing you who put you up
07:39to this i slid a folder across the desk ashford capital founded by my father richard ashfield
07:44current net worth north of 12 billion sole heir me constance opened the folder as she read the
07:53colors slowly drained from her face this can't be right it's been verified by three independent auditors
08:01and the sec would you like their numbers her hands trembled she closed the folder and looked up at me
08:06with an expression i had never seen on her face before fear what do you want aurelia i smiled
08:13i want my mother's necklace back and i want a formal public apology from your family and if we refuse
08:20i 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 conaltons gripped the armrest of
08:34her chair you wouldn't constance you spent five years telling me i was nothing that i should be
08:41grateful your 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 5 p.m today she turned to leave then stopped at the door without looking back she asked quietly
09:02did
09:03you ever actually love my son the question caught me off guard i paused then answered honestly more than he
09:09deserved the door closed behind her i echo hailed slowly my calm exterior cracking just slightly then
09:19leo's voice came through the intercom this is ashfield there's one more visitor he doesn't have an
09:25appointment but he says it's urgent who is it derrick blackwell he's on his way up and ma'am leo's
09:31voice
09:32dropped 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
10:00my mother's emerald glittering against her collarbone like a stolen crown they both
10:05stopped cold when they saw the name on my office door aurelia ashford ceo ashford capital derrick's
10:11mask tin he recovered shoving his hands into his pockets with forced casualness
10:19so it's true his voice was flat you've been hiding this the entire time i didn't stand didn't offer them
10:25a seat hiding implies i owed you the truth i didn't vanessa clutched derrick's arm her eyes
10:33sweeping the corner office the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking manhattan the original basquiat
10:38on the wall the quiet unmistakable scent of real power for the first time she looked unsure of herself
10:43derrick pulled out a chair without being invited and sat across from me let's cut the theatrics aurelia
10:50you're angry i get it but buying my family's company that's not justice that's revenge
10:57and throwing divorce papers at my face in front of your entire family while your mistress wore my
11:03dead mother's jewelry what was that rowan's he flinched good here's what's going to happen derrick
11:10i opened a leather portfolio on my desk i now hold 62 of blackwell industries that makes me the majority
11:17shareholder as of this morning i've frozen all executive accounts pending a full financial audit
11:24derrick's face went white you froze our accounts your company's accounts they're my company's accounts now
11:31vanessa stepped forward you can't do this derrick's family built that company over three generations
11:40and your boyfriend nearly bankrupted it in two years i pulled out a financial report
11:45and placed it on the desk blackwell industries has been hemorrhaging money since derrick took over as
11:50coo exposed derivatives positions honorized loans a 12 million dollar marketing expense that traces
11:57directly to a villa in the south of france i looked at vanessa your villa i believe vanessa's mouth opened
12:03then closed derrick shot to his feet that's confidential financial data
12:10how did you i own the company derrick nothing is confidential from me the room went very still
12:18derrick stared at me as if seeing me for the first time not the quiet wife who folded his laundry
12:23and
12:23tolerated his mother's insults not the woman he had so easily discarded his voice was hoarse what
12:30do you want i already told your mother the necklace a public apology and i want vanessa out of every
12:37property connected to blackwell industries including the villa vanessa let out a sharp laugh you're delusional
12:45derrick tell her shut up vanessa she recorded as if she'd been slapped derrick's hands were shaking
12:52he pressed them flat against the desk leaning forward and if i agree to all of that you'll return control
13:00of the company i studied him for a long moment no his face crumbled the company stays with me
13:09consider it the alimony you didn't think i deserved i closed the portfolio you have until five o'clock
13:15after that i begin liquidation proceedings aurelia derrick looked like a man watching his house five
13:21years doesn'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 because you're only now realizing it meant nothing to you
13:36he had no response i pressed the intercom leo please escort mr blackwell and his guest to the
13:44elevator derrick said slowly mechanically he turned a door this isn't over i smiled for you it was over
13:52the moment you handed me that pen the door closed i sat in silence for exactly 10 seconds then leo's
13:58voice
13:59ashford i have an update derrick's car is still in the parking garage but vanessa just got into a
14:05separate vehicle a black mercedes it's registered to someone named roman corsetti my hand froze on the
14:12desk roman corsetti the one name in the city i had spent five years avoiding ems ashford are you all
14:20right i let out a slow breath leo pull everything we have on corsetti holdings every subsidiary every
14:26board member every transaction in the last six months may i ask why because roman corsetti was
14:31the only man alive who knew exactly who i was before i became aurelia ashford before the inheritance
14:37before the walls i had built around myself and if vanessa was connected to him this wasn't just a
14:43messy divorce anymore just do it and leo yes cancel my afternoon something tells me it's about to get a
14:51lot more complicated by noon leo had assembled a full dossier on corsetti holdings i spread the
15:02documents across my desk scanning each page with the precision of someone defusing a bomb roman corsetti
15:08age 34 inherited his father's mid-tier real estate empire at 26 and tripled its value in under five
15:15years on 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 or bury a
15:34scandal so deep it would never surface roman and i had history not the con i ever talked about we
15:40had
15:40met seven years ago before my parents died before i inherited ashford capital before i made the
15:45catastrophic decision to marry derrick blackwell i was 20 studying abroad in london and roman was the
15:51brooding italian american who sat in the back of my economics lecture and never took notes but aced
15:56every exam we had been inseparable for one semester then my parents plane went down and i disappeared from
16:02everyone's life including his i never explained never said goodbye just vanished and now vasa hale my
16:08ex-husband's mistress was climbing into his car leo i didn't look up from the file what's vanessa's
16:15connection to corsetti leo pulled up a tablet according to social media vanessa's worked briefly
16:20as an event coordinator for corsetti holdings about two years ago there are photos of her at several
16:26corsetti hosted gallus there is also a rumor unconfirmed that she and roman were romantically
16:32involved before she started seeing derrick my stomach tightened so vanessa had gone from roman's orbit to
16:38derrick's bed and now she was running back the question was why before i could dig deeper my desk
16:45phone rang the caller id read front desk security ems ashford there's a delivery for you no sender name
16:53the security team has already screened it a box send it up two minutes later leo placed a matte black
17:01box on my desk no card no label just a small gold clasp i opened it inside besting on black
17:08velvet was
17:09a single white chess piece a queen my blood went cold only one person had ever called me that a
17:15private
17:15joke from a london cafe over cheap espresso and a borrowed chess set you always play queen first roman
17:21had said most people protect their queen you use yours as a weapon that's because most people
17:28don't understand power he had laughed a low warm sound i hadn't heard in seven years i closed the box
17:37leo 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 saying 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 place
18:09guy didn't know the place a small italian restaurant on the lower east side that we used to frequent in
18:15summers when he visited new york the kind of place with checkered tablecloths and a 70 year old owner
18:20who made pasta by hand every instinct told me to ignore the message but roman corsetti didn't reach
18:26out without reason if nessa was connected to him i needed to know how deep it went and whether the
18:31blackwell mess was bigger than a cheating husband in a stolen necklace i picked up the chess piece turning it
18:37slowly between my fingers then i typed i'll be there at eight don't be late his response was immediate
18:43guy never late you are the one who disappeared guy set the phone down this was no longer just about
18:50derrick
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
19:07with a dish towel over his shoulder i arrived at 7 55 roman was already seated in the back corner
19:13our
19:13old table he looked up the moment i walked in as if he had sensed me before he saw me
19:18seven years had
19:19sharpened his features the boyish edges were gone replaced by a jaw that could cut glass and eyes so
19:24dark they swallowed the candlelight his suit was charcoal no top relaxed controlled dangerous you're early he
19:31said you said don't be late i sat across from him i'm never late either a ghost of a smile
19:37you've
19:37changed everyone changes his gaze moved over my face not like this as if cataloging every difference
19:44the aurelia i knew wouldn't have bought a company just to punish a man the aurelia you knew also
19:50wouldn't have married one who deserved punishing he leaned back studying me fair point sal appeared with
19:55a bottle of good wine the same barolo we used to order he poured two glasses without asking padded roman
20:01on the shoulder and disappeared i didn't touch my glass let's skip the nostalgia why am i here
20:11because you want to know why vanessa hale got into my car this morning that was new the roman
20:16i remembered preferred to circle a topic like a hawk before diving so you know i'm watching i know
20:22everything aurelia i've known where you were for the past five years i knew when you married
20:29blackwell i knew when he started cheating his voice didn't change but something flickered behind his
20:36eyes i 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
20:50because you didn't want me to you made that very clear when you vanished without a word seven years
20:56ago zation landed like a blade between my ribs i held his gaze i had my reasons he drank set
21:03the glass
21:03down i'm sure you did but that's not why we're here tonight then why vanessa came to me this afternoon
21:12with a proposal she wants me to help derek blackwell challenge the takeover she claims the acquisition was
21:17done using insider information and that she has documents to prove it my jaw tightened that's a
21:23lie i know it's a lie the question is who gave her the idea vanessa isn't smart enough to fabricate
21:31a
21:31legal strategy on her own someone is coaching her i thought for a moment derek's lawyers no i had my
21:40people check the blackwell legal team is scrambling they didn't see this coming any more than derek did
21:47roman leaned forward lowering his voice there's a third party involved aurelia someone who wants
21:55blackwell industries and they're using vanessa as a pawn to destabilize your position a chill crawled up
22:02my spine who roman reached into his jacket and placed a single photograph on the table i looked
22:09down it was a photo of vanessa at a private dinner seated next to a silver-haired man in his
22:1460s i
22:15recognized him instantly victor hale vanessa's father and one of the most ruthless corporate raiders
22:21on wall street vanessa isn't just derek's mistress roman said she was planted her father has been eyeing
22:27blackwell industries for over a year the affair the divorce the chaos it was all engineered to weaken
22:35the company's value before a hostile bit i stared at the photograph everything i thought i understood
22:41about the last five years shifted rearranged collapsed and rebuilt itself into something far uglier
22:47derek doesn't know i whispered derek is an idiot roman said flatly but no he doesn't know roman
22:54watched me in silence then spoke again victor hale's bid is set to go through in 72 hours
23:00if he succeeds he won't just take blackwell industries he'll use it as leverage to go
23:05after ashford capital's commercial real estate portfolio my portfolio my father's legacy i set
23:11the glass 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 need help i don't need anyone's help you don't need it
23:24he agreed but you'd be a fool to refuse it we stared at each other across the table the
23:30candlelight flickering between us seven years of silence seven years of questions neither of us had
23:35asked and now sitting across from the only man who had ever truly known me i realized something
23:41terrifying i did it and that was the most dangerous thing of all
23:48i didn't sleep that night by 2 a.m i was in ashford capitol's war room a windowless conference space
23:55on the 41st floor that most employees didn't even know existed screens lined every wall financial data
24:01streamed in real time leo had assembled a small trusted team our chief legal counsel margaret wu head of
24:07acquisitions james alcott and priya sharma our forensic accountant who could trace a dollar through 17 shell
24:13companies i laid out everything roman had told me when i finished the room was silent margaret spoke
24:19first if victor hale files a competing acquisition claim within 72 hours we'll be locked in a legal
24:26battle that could take months during that time a judge could freeze our controlling shares james added
24:32freeze our shares which is exactly what he wants tank the stock price then swoop in with a lowball offer
24:39priya pulled up a screen i've already started tracing vanessa's hail's financial records she has
24:44accounts in three offshore jurisdictions sem the caymans lakachenstein and singapore all open within
24:50the last 18 months i noted right around the time she started dating derrick exactly and look at this
24:57zoomed in on a series of wire transfers monthly payments from a trust fund registered to hail industries
25:04routed through two intermediary accounts landing in vanessa's personal account 50 000 a month margaret
25:12leaned forward she was being paid to seduce derrick blackwell the words hung in the air like smoke i
25:18thought about derrick stupid vain unfaithful derrick and felt unexpected pang of something not sympathy
25:24exactly more like the grim recognition that we have both been played there's more priya switched
25:30screen six weeks ago vanessa's made a large withdrawal in 200 000 ian and transferred it to
25:37a legal firm kessler and briggs james whistled that's victor hale's personal attack dog firm
25:44they specialize in hostile takeover litigation so the legal challenge is already in motion
25:52priya's voice was tight kessler briggs filed a sealed motion yesterday afternoon
25:57i couldn't access the contents but the case number is linked to blackwell industries 72 hours had been
26:03optimistic victor hale was already ahead of us i pressed my palms flat against the table options
26:09margaret didn't hesitate we need to prove that vanessa was acting as an agent of hail industries
26:15when she infiltrated the blackwell family if we can demonstrate that victor austrated the affair to
26:22manipulate blackwell industries stock price that securities fraud it would invalidate any competing
26:28bid can we prove it with these financial records it's a strong start but we need more we need
26:36testimony from someone inside hail industries who can confirm victor's involvement a whistle or i murmured
26:42or someone with leverage james suggested someone who owes us a favor sam or who has their own reason
26:49to want victor hale taken down my phone buzzed a text from roman asterisk's breakfast tomorrow i have
26:56something you need to see asterisk i stared at the message then looked at my team keep digging i want
27:02every transaction every communication every connection between victor hale and the blackwell family mapped
27:07out by morning as they disperse ems 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 admitted but right
27:20now he's the only person outside this room who knows what victor hale is planning and he came to me
27:28before i came to him leo nodded slowly just be careful corsetti has his own interest everyone does
27:34i thought about the white chess piece still sitting on my desk i know leo believe me i know
27:45wellman was waiting at the same restaurant same table same bewolo 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
28:01them personal buyouts in exchange for voting against your acquisition at the next shareholder meeting i
28:05opened the envelope inside were photographs time stamped high resolution showing victor shaking hands
28:11with board members i recognized how did you get these i have people everywhere aurelia you know
28:18that i studied the photos if these three vote against me combined with the shares hale is accumulating
28:26through shell companies he'll have enough to force a revote on the acquisition and with a sympathetic
28:31judge he could get an injunction within days i close the envelope then i need to get to these board
28:37members before he does jerald foss is a lost cause he's been on hale's payroll for years i have the
28:42records to prove it diana chu is wavering she's loyal to the blackwell name but she's terrified of
28:47victor and martin kemp roman is the key he holds the swing vote and he's old school he won't be
28:55bought
28:55but he can be convinced if someone he respects makes the case who does he respect well men held my
29:00gaze
29:01your father martin and richard ashford were close friends he was at your parents funeral a sharp ache
29:07bloomed in my chest i pushed it down i'll meet with martin today roman reached into his jacket and produced
29:14i thought you might say that his private number he's expecting a call from me sem but hearing from you
29:21will carry more weight i took the card our fingers brushed neither of us pulled away immediately why are
29:28you helping me roman the question i've been avoiding what's in this for you he was quiet for
29:34a long moment victor hale destroyed a friend of mine a man named elliot graves ran a development firm
29:40in 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 victor
29:57down roman continued when i saw what he was doing to blackwell industries and realized you were the
30:02one standing in his way i knew the moment had arrived so i'm a means to an end you're the
30:08only
30:08person i've ever met who's smart enough ruthless enough and well resourced enough to beat him he
30:14leaned forward and you happen to be the one person i couldn't bring myself to forget the words landed
30:19somewhere deep in a place i'd spent seven years trying to wall off i stood talking the ombre my arm
30:24i'll call martin this afternoon aurelia i stopped when this is over sim and it will end
30:31one way or another you and i have a conversation that's seven years overdue i didn't turn around
30:38one war at a time roman but as i walked out into the morning light my heart was beating fast
30:43for it
30:49martin camp lived in a brownstone on the upper west side the kind with original crown molding and a
30:54library 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
31:20gestured
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
31:58gerald foss and he's working on diana chu you're the swing vote mr kemp martin looked at the photos
32:07his 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
32:20he'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 it
33:03was
33:03a 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
33:48cold he'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
34:25i'm telling you that you have options victor doesn't want you to know about
34:28your vote is yours whatever you decide i'll make that call regardless martin stared at me for a long
34:36moment then he leaned back and let out a breath that seemed to carry the weight of decades your father
34:43once told me that the measure of a person isn't what they do when they have power it's what they
34:50refuse
34:50to do he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed diana it's martin we need to talk about
35:01the
35:01shareholder meeting i sat in silence listening as the tide began to turn
35:10the next 48 hours were a controlled demolition martin kemp called diana chu and whatever he said
35:16convinced her to hold her vote with diana locked down victor's path to a majority collapsed unless
35:22he could find another way in he found one at 3 pm on the second day kessler and briggs filed
35:28an
35:28emergency injunction claiming that my acquisition of blackwell industries had been conducted using
35:32material non-public information insider trading the accusation was absurd every piece of data i'd used
35:39was publicly available but the filing triggered an automatic sec view and until the review was complete
35:44my shares would be frozen victor hale didn't need to win the case the judge granted a temporary
35:50restraining order your voting rights are suspended pending investigation how long could be weeks could
35:57be months victor's lawyers are going to drag this out as long as possible i turned to priya the offshore
36:03accounts vanessa's payments tell me you have everything documented stamus did verified and cross-referenced
36:12priya confirmed but it's not enough for the sec we need direct evidence something on at buix my phone
36:20buzzed we need to meet now not the restaurant my office 30 minutes later i was in the corsetti
36:29holding on park avenue roman's office was sparse dark wood minimal furniture a wall of windows overlooking
36:36the city he was standing when i walked in his expression grin vented victor filed the injunction
36:42i know but that's not why i called you here he turned a laptop screen toward me one of my
36:49people intercepted this an hour it was an audio recording he pressed play victor hale's voice filled
36:54the room crisp and unmistakable the sec filing is just a delay tactic once ashford shares are frozen we
37:00move to phase two i want blackwell industry stock below 12 dollars by end a week use the singapore
37:05account to short the position and make sure vanessa keeps derrick occupied the second voice male
37:10unfamiliar responded what about corsetti he's been seen with the ashford woman victor laughed roman
37:17corsetti is a sentimental fool he thinks he's protecting her by the time he realizes what's
37:22actually happening it'll be too late recording ended i looked at roman what does he mean
37:27what's actually happening that's what concerns me roman's jaw tightened victor isn't just going after
37:33blackwell industries it's all a smoke screen for what he pulled up a document on his screen
37:39my 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 trying
37:59to take blackwell industries he's trying to bankrupt me blackwell is just the weapon roman nod if he
38:05crashes blackwell's stock while your shares are frozen it triggers a margin call on ashford capital's
38:10leverage positions you'd be forced to sell assets at firevale price and orion ventures would be waiting
38:16to buy every building your father ever owned i stood at the window staring out at the city my father
38:22had
38:22helped build five years ago i had walked away from my name my fortune my legacy all for a man
38:29who never
38:29deserved me i had what that dream was dead but my father's legacy wouldn't die with it i turned back
38:36to roman
38:36the recording can it hold up in court it was obtained through surveillance not a wiretap warrant
38:45admissibility 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
38:54a full investigation into hail industries victor won't be able to execute his plan if his own assets
38:58are frozen 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 the
39:18way
39:18my pulse stuttered call your lawyer we file tomorrow morning he picked up his phone already done one
39:25more thing what derek called me an hour ago he knows about victor's plan he wants to meet with derek
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
40:25my desk hands at his sides aurelia his voice cracked on my name i know i don't deserve to be
40:32here you're
40:33right you don't sit down he sat vanessa's gone he said she emptied my accounts personal savings the
40:46joint account even the emergency fund my mother set up three hundred thousand dollars gone overnight
40:52i know his head snapped up you know i know everything derek i've known about vanessa's real
41:00identity for two days now i opened a folder and placed it in front of him vanessa halio
41:07daughter of victor hale ceo of hale industries she was planted in your life to destabilize blackwell
41:14industries so her father could execute a hostile takeover derek read the documents with each page the
41:21color drained further from his face the affair the divorce it was all injured yes he looked up at
41:29me and for the first time in five years i saw the man i had once married not the arrogant
41:35heir not the
41:36unfaithful husband just a lost broken person who had been used why are you showing me this because i
41:43need your help he blinked my help after everything i did to you victor hale filed an ssc complaint to
41:52freeze my shares if i can't vote at the shareholder meeting he wins but there's one thing he didn't
41:59account for what 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 tell them
42:18exactly 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 it's something i never
42:51expected he laughed a hollow bitter sound you know what's funny my mother always said you weren't good
42:59enough for me that you had no ambition no vision she said vanessa was better he met my eyes and
43:07now
43:07now i'm sitting in your office in your building asking for your help and you're the only person in
43:13the world willing to give it to me i didn't feel satisfaction i didn't feel vindication i just felt tired
43:19the shareholder meeting is in 36 hours i said my legal team will prepare your statement
43:24you'll need to review it tonight he stood i'll do it aurelia what i'm sorry not because i need
43:36something from you because i should have said it a long time ago i held his gaze for a moment
43:43then
43:43nodded once and now he left leo appeared in the doorway do you believe him it doesn't matter if i
43:51believe him it matters if the board does my phone buzzed roman victor knows about the sec filing he is
44:00accelerating the shareholder meeting may be moved up i typed back how soon tomorrow 9 am 36 hours had
44:08just become 12. i didn't panic panic was a luxury i couldn't afford by midnight my war room was fully
44:21operational margaret had derrick's testimony drafted priya had the financial evidence packaged into a
44:27presentation that even a first year law student could follow james had contacted every friendly
44:32shareholder to confirm 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 emails text
44:45recorded phone calls my people attained them through foss's former assistant she quit last month and was
44:50more than happy to cooperate i plugged in the drive the contents were devastating victor had been
44:55coordinating with foss to inflate and then crash blackwell industries stock timing the manipulation to
45:01coincide with keyboard decisions this is securities fraud margaret said reading over my shoulder clear
45:08documented undeniable securities fraud it's enough to get foss removed from the board and potentially
45:15arrested priya added which means his vote is invalidated i turned to roman if foss's vote is
45:23thrown out and derrick votes with us you have a super majority the acquisition is locked victor can't
45:30touch it for the first time in days i felt something loosen in my chest but roman's expression remained
45:37guarded there's a complication of course there was victor filed a motion to have the meeting held at a
45:43neutral location the hail industries conference center in midtown the judge approved it an hour ago
45:49james swore under his breath he wants us on his turf it's a power play roman said he wants to
45:56intimidate the board members surround them with his people his security his atmosphere they stood pacing
46:03the length of the room then we show up with something he doesn't expect which is i looked at roman
46:10everything we walk in with the financial evidence derrick's testimony foss's communications and the
46:15audio recording we don't hold anything back we put it all on the table and let the board decide
46:21the recording may not be admissible in court this isn't court it's a shareholder meeting the rules of
46:28evidence don't apply we just need the board to hear victor hale in his own words admitting to mark
46:32manipulation roman considered this then he nodded slowly it's aggressive victor hale planted a woman in my
46:41husband's bed to steal my father's legacy aggressive is the least of what i'm going to be
46:47the room was quiet then margaret smiled i'll have everything ready by 7 a.m
46:54priya james i want backup copies of every document on encrypted drives
46:59if anything happens to the originals we don't lose a thing and me roman asked i met his eyes
47:05you'll be there front row i want victor to see you and know exactly whose side you're on
47:11something passed between us unspoken electric and entirely too complicated for a night like this
47:18front 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
47:46get some sleep he said tomorrow you end this tomorrow we end this he held my gaze for one heartbeat
47:55two three then he left and i sat alone in the war room surrounded by evidence of betrayal and greed
48:03and allowed myself just 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 efric entrance victor hale 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 de sherek arrived separately escorted by two of my security personnel roman was
48:36already inside seated in the front row of the observation gallery exactly as promised he wore a black
48:44suit and an expression of perfect calm victor hale sat at the head of the conference table like a king
48:50on his throne silver-haired sharp-eyed impeccably dressed he looked at me the way a cat looks at a
48:56mouse
48:57ems 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
49:23thin man from kessler and briggs stood immediately before we proceed we'd like to enter into the
49:29record our 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 i'd like to present
49:42some materials to the board the chair looked between us ems ashford this is somewhat irregular
49:49so is using your daughter as a honeypot to destroy a publicly traded company but here we are the room
49:55went dead silent victor's smile didn't waver but his eyes went flat cold like a shark's i nodded to priya
50:03who distributed folders to every board member inside you'll find documentation of a coordinated scheme
50:09by victor hale to manipulate the stock price of blackwell industries the scheme involved planting his
50:15daughter vanessa hale as an agent to infiltrate the blackwell family destabilize the company's
50:21leadership and create conditions for a hostile takeover i walked the board through every piece
50:27of evidence the offshore accounts the monthly payments the connection to kessler and briggs
50:33the orion ventures subsidiary the target list of ashford capital properties the board members faces
50:40shifted from skepticism to shock to barely concealed outrage then i played the audio recording victor's
50:46own voice filled the conference room every word every instruction every casual reference to treating
50:53people's lives like chess pieces when it ended the silence was suffocating victor hale stood slowly
51:00his composure was cracking not visibly not to anyone who didn't know what to look for but i saw the
51:06micro tremor in his right hand the slight flare of his nostrils this this recording was obtained illegally
51:14he said it's inadmissible simple this isn't a courtroom mr hale chair's voice was firm and the financial
51:22documents corroborating the recording are more than sufficient i turned to derrick
51:29mr blackwell derrick stood he was pale but steady he looked at the board the people who had watched
51:36him grow up who had sat at his family's dinner table who had trusted his father everything miss
51:43ashford has presented is true he said i was manipulated by vanessa hale at her father's direction
51:51i take full responsibility for my failure to see it and i am formally casting my eight percent share
51:58in support of ashford capital's acquisition gerald foss shot to his feet this is absurd you can't just
52:07mr foss i turned to him with a calm smile would you like me to share your communications with victor
52:13hale
52:14as well because i have 18 months of emails that suggest you've been acting as his inside man
52:21foss's mouth opened he sat down without another word the chair called for a vote one by one the board
52:28members voted martin kemp in favor deanna chu in favor derrick blackwell in favor when the final count
52:37was read the acquisition was ratified by a super majority victor hale sat motionless his empire his
52:44scheme his carefully constructed house of cards had collapsed in under an hour i gathered my documents
52:51buttoned my jacket and paused beside his chair on my way out mr hale a piece of advice from one
52:58ceo to
52:59another he didn't look at me never underestimate a woman you tried to rob we don't just fight back
53:04i leaned in close enough to whisper we take everything
53:10i walked out of the conference room and into the morning light roman was waiting by the elevator
53:15he didn't say anything he just fell into step beside me we rode the elevator down in silence when
53:22the doors opened to the lobby i stopped roman yes that conversation you mentioned
53:29the one that's seven years overdue he turned to face me his dark eyes unreadable i'm ready to have
53:35now and for the first time since this all began the look on his face wasn't guarded or strategic
53:42or careful it was just hopeful we went back to sale's restaurant it was 11 a.m on a tuesday
53:52the place was nearly empty sale took one look at us brought out two espressos and a chessboard
53:58and disappeared into the kitchen roman sat across from me his jacket off sleeves rolled to his forearms
54:05without the armor of a boardroom he looked younger almost like the man i'd known in london almost
54:11seven years he said seven years i echoed you left without a word one day you were there the next
54:17gone no call no letter nothing my parents had just died roman i inherited a 12 billion dollar company i
54:28didn't know existed in a legacy i wasn't prepared to carry i was 20 years old and the lawyers told
54:35me
54:35that anyone close to me could become a target so you pushed everyone away i pushed you away
54:41there's a difference you could have told me and what would you have done dropped everything followed
54:49me into a world of corporate warfare and billion dollar decisions you had your own family your
54:55own empire to build i would have been there aurelia that's what i would have done the simplicity of it
55:03broke
55:03something inside me i wrapped my hands around the espresso cup i made a choice i chose to disappear to
55:11build walls to handle everything alone and then i married derek because i wanted to feel normal
55:19i wanted someone who didn't know about the money the name the weight of it
55:24and instead you got someone who didn't know you at all yes roman reached across the table your move he
55:33said i moved the queen first he smiled aurelia i'm not gonna pretend the last seven years didn't happen
55:40you hurt me deeply and i spent a long time being angry about it i know but i also spent
55:49that time
55:50building something corsetti holdings isn't just real estate anymore we have security divisions
55:57intelligence networks legal teams that rival any firm in the country i built all of it and some part
56:05of me built it because i knew that one day you'd need someone in your corner who couldn't be bought
56:13threatened or broken i stared at the board my throat was tight that's either the most romantic
56:20thing 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 dismantling of
56:41his scheme veinsi will surface eventually probably in a country without an extradition treaty derek will
56:47spend the rest of his life trying to rebuild a reputation that may be beyond saving i meant with
56:52us roman's hand paused over the board i know what you meant he looked at me really looked at me
56:59and
57:00i saw everything he'd been holding back seven years of waiting seven years of watching from a distance
57:05seven years of building an empire partly just to be worthy of standing next to me i'm not proposing
57:11anything aurelia not tonight you just finished a war you need time to breathe i've been holding my breath
57:19for five years i'm done waiting to breathe something shifted in his eyes the guarded wall came down not all
57:28at once but enough enough for me to see the man behind the strategy the silence the chess moves then
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
58:01no i smiled i'm clearing the board we don't need a game between us anymore he held my gaze
58:07then slowly he reached across the table and took my hand his grip was warm steady real outside the
58:16city hummed with its relentless rhythm deals being made empires rising and falling people chasing power
58:22they'd never quite catch but in a tiny italian astraunt on the lower east side two people who had spent
58:28seven years running from each other finally stopped and for the first time in longer than i could
58:33remember i didn't feel like a queen or a ceo or someone's ex-wife i just felt like aurelia and
58:41that
58:42was enough
58:42you
58:43you
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