“That is precisely the concern, Ms. Vance,” he replied softly.
“You believe that respect is something to be distributed only after you verify a person’s financial position.”
He reached into the pocket of his worn tweed jacket, pulled out three quarters and a dime, and placed them deliberately on the polished wood table.
They were the exact coins she had kicked into the dirty slush.
“A successful partnership depends on judgment, professionalism, and character,” Julian continued.
“Your behavior on the sidewalk showed me exactly how you treat people when you believe there will be no consequences.”
Victoria swallowed hard, her eyes darting nervously toward her maroon briefcase resting on the floor.
“Mr. Pendelton, I deeply apologize for my lapse in judgment,” she said quickly.
“But I assure you, my professional work on this merger is flawless, and the financial benefits for both of our firms are undeniable.”
Julian didn’t smile.
He turned his attention away from the coins and gestured for his lead attorney to hand him a thick, black leather folder.
“Let’s discuss your professional work, then,” Julian said, flipping open the folder.
He pulled out a stack of financial models and spread them across the table.
I recognized the documents immediately; they were the final asset valuations I had printed and bound in the office just three days ago.
“Over the last four weeks, my private forensic accounting team has been conducting an independent audit of your firm,” Julian stated.
Victoria’s entire body went rigid, and a sudden, sickening pale color washed over her face.
“An independent audit?” Victoria repeated, her voice barely a whisper. “That is highly unusual before the preliminary signing.”
“I am a highly unusual man,” Julian replied smoothly.
He tapped his finger against a specific page in the document.
“During our audit, we discovered a massive discrepancy in Section Four of your proposal, specifically regarding the valuation of my Dallas and Austin properties.”
My heart skipped a beat.
I had personally organized Section Four, and the properties had been valued at nearly ninety million dollars.
“According to the final contract you submitted on Friday,” Julian continued, “these properties were re-classified as distressed assets and valued at less than thirty million.”
Julian looked up, his eyes narrowing into a lethal glare.
“This sixty-million-dollar devaluation would have allowed your firm to acquire those properties for a fraction of their worth, liquidate them immediately, and pocket the cash.”
The room felt like all the oxygen had been instantly sucked out of it.
I felt completely dizzy.
If those numbers had been altered, it meant someone was trying to actively defraud Pendelton Hospitality, and they were using our merger pitch to do it.
Victoria’s eyes darted frantically around the room like a trapped animal looking for a cage door to leave open.
Suddenly, she straightened her posture, let out a sharp gasp of manufactured horror, and turned to look directly at me.
“Claire, what have you done?” Victoria cried out, her voice echoing with perfect, theatrical devastation.
I froze, completely blindsided by the sound of my own name.
“I specifically told you to double-check the final real estate models before you submitted the digital files on Friday,” Victoria continued, pointing an accusing finger at me.
“Did you alter these valuations to guarantee your commission bonus?”
My mouth opened, but for a terrifying second, no sound came out.
“I… I didn’t touch the final models,” I stammered, stepping away from the wall.
“Victoria, you locked the final draft on your secure drive. I only printed the title pages.”
“Do not lie to me in front of Mr. Pendelton!” Victoria shouted, slamming her hand against the table.
She turned back to Julian, her face the perfect picture of a betrayed senior executive.
“Mr. Pendelton, I am absolutely horrified. My assistant, Claire, has been under severe financial distress at home, and she was desperate to push this merger through to secure her bonus.”
I felt a wave of absolute nausea crash over me as I realized exactly what Victoria was doing.
She wasn’t just trying to save her job; she was actively trying to frame me for a federal corporate crime.
“Victoria, please,” I begged, my voice trembling as tears of panic sprang into my eyes. “You know I didn’t alter those documents.”
Victoria reached into her designer handbag and pulled out a single sheet of paper with our company’s letterhead.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” Victoria said sadly, handing the paper across the table to Julian.
“But I found this in her desk yesterday morning. It’s the internal authorization sheet for the Dallas devaluation.”
Julian took the paper and adjusted his reading glasses.
“It appears to have your assistant’s signature,” Julian noted quietly.
Victoria nodded, wiping a fake tear from the corner of her eye.
“I am so sorry, Mr. Pendelton. I will have to terminate her immediately and contact the authorities to have her arrested for fraud.”
Julian looked at the paper for a long time, tracing his finger over the ink.
Then, he slowly looked up at me.
“Ms. Evans,” Julian said gently. “Would you please step forward and examine this document?”
My legs felt like heavy lead as I walked toward the mahogany table.
I looked down at the paper, and my blood ran completely cold.
It was an internal compliance sheet, authorizing a massive write-down of the Texas properties.
At the bottom of the page, written in black ink, was my exact signature.
It wasn’t a sloppy forgery; it looked perfectly authentic, matching the exact loop of my letters and the slant of my handwriting.
“Is this your signature, Claire?” Julian asked, his voice giving nothing away.
I stared at the ink, a profound sense of doom settling heavy in my chest.