Chapter 10 - I Bought My Husband’s Company Without Buying My HusbandThe plan sounded impossible.
His interviews were calm.
His suits were conservative.
His public image was almost aggressively boring.
He funded hospitals.
Sat on museum boards.
Endowed scholarships.
And controlled more than four billion dollars in private equity assets.
I had met him three times.
Each time, he had treated me like Andrew’s pleasant, irrelevant wife.
Now Evelyn was telling me his mother had once tried to destroy Aurelia.
“What happened twenty-two years ago?”
Evelyn looked toward the restaurant window.
“Marianne Vale was brilliant.”
“That doesn’t answer me.”
“She was Eleanor’s finance director.”
I froze.
“She worked for Aurelia?”
“For six years.”
“What happened?”
“Aurelia expanded too quickly in the late nineties. Eleanor borrowed heavily to acquire neighboring acreage.”
“I knew that.”
“Then the market slowed.”
“Yes.”
“What you probably don’t know is that Marianne secretly negotiated with an investment group to purchase Aurelia’s debt.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“She would receive equity after foreclosure.”
“So she sabotaged production.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Eleanor believed so.”
“Proof?”
“Never enough for criminal charges.”
“What happened?”
“Gabriel’s father discovered irregular payments.”
I sat back.
Gabriel’s family had saved Aurelia.
Again.
“Marianne was fired.”
“And Samuel?”
“He was nineteen.”
“Then why would he care now?”
“Because his mother blamed Eleanor for ruining her career.”
“That’s his mother’s grievance.”
“Grievances can become inheritances.”
I looked at the photograph.
“Samuel invested in Bennett Global.”
“Yes.”
“And encouraged Andrew to acquire Aurelia.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Evelyn leaned forward.
“Because Samuel’s fund also owns debt secured by several Bennett Global subsidiaries.”
“Everybody owns Andrew’s debt.”
“That was deliberate.”
My throat tightened.
“How much exposure?”
“Enough that Bennett’s failure could allow Samuel to acquire its strongest divisions cheaply.”
“And Aurelia?”
“If Andrew acquired it before defaulting, Aurelia might become part of the collateral structure.”
My skin went cold.
There it was.
The true trap.
Charles wanted development rights.
Vanessa wanted money and control.
Andrew wanted rescue.
But Samuel wanted everything to collapse.
Bennett Global.
Aurelia.
Possibly Cole Crest too.
I whispered, “He was at the tasting.”
“Watching.”
“He suspended funding immediately after learning I owned Aurelia.”
“Because your ownership complicated the plan.”
I thought about the cellar sabotage.
“If Aurelia’s production was damaged—”
“Your negotiating position weakens.”
“And if investors believe the estate is mismanaged after Eleanor’s death—”
“Pressure to sell rises.”
I stood.
“We need proof.”
Evelyn remained seated.
“There may be some.”
“Where?”
“Inside Bennett Global.”
Andrew agreed to meet me that afternoon.
This time, we met in Daniel’s office.
No romantic memories.
No vineyard.
No hotel.
Fluorescent lights and lawyers.
Andrew looked terrible.
I told him about Samuel.
He laughed at first.
Then I showed him the photograph of Marianne Vale.
His expression changed.
“Samuel never told me.”
“Of course not.”
“He knew about Aurelia before I did.”
“How?”
“Price Capital approached us with financing options eleven months ago.”
“Before Halcyon?”
“Yes.”
Everything fit.
Samuel nudged Andrew toward expansion financing.
Halcyon increased leverage.
Vanessa joined the company.
Everyone had different reasons to encourage the same acquisition.
Aurelia had become a prize surrounded by people pretending to help Andrew win it.
Daniel asked, “Who at Bennett Global has access to Aurelia’s financial data?”
Andrew hesitated.
“Several people.”
“Names.”
“Vanessa. CFO. Strategy team.”
“Samuel?”
“His analysts received diligence materials.”
My eyes narrowed.
“Including operational systems?”
“No.”
Gabriel had said cellar controls required onsite access.
“Who from Bennett Global attended yesterday besides Vanessa?”
Andrew listed six employees.
One name stood out.
Peter Sloan.
Senior operations adviser.
“What does he do?”
Andrew frowned.
“Integration planning.”
“Was he at Aurelia?”
“Yes.”
Daniel typed.
Then looked up.
“Peter Sloan’s mother’s maiden name is Vale.”
The room went silent.
Andrew whispered, “No.”
Daniel continued.
“Peter is Marianne Vale’s nephew.”
I felt something almost like relief.
Not because the truth was good.
Because finally the maze had an exit.
Samuel had family inside Andrew’s company.
Peter had visited Aurelia.
Peter had expertise in operational integration.
Possibly enough knowledge to sabotage the cellar.
“We need the security footage again.”
Gabriel arrived thirty minutes later with a laptop.
He pulled images from the tasting day.
Peter appeared repeatedly.
Blue suit.
Red tie.
Then, at 5:41 p.m., after most guests left, Peter appeared near the production building.
Not enough.
We needed him inside.
Daniel requested Bennett Global access logs.
Andrew authorized it.
Peter had used his corporate ID to access restricted technical documents relating to Aurelia integration planning six times.
Including temperature control specifications.
Andrew stared at the screen.
“He was preparing due diligence.”
“Or preparing sabotage.”
We still needed proof.
Then Andrew said quietly, “There’s a backup.”
“What?”
“Our employee phones.”
Daniel looked up.
“Company-owned?”
“Yes.”
“Location logging?”
“For executive security.”
Within an hour, Bennett Global’s IT director joined the call.
Peter Sloan’s company phone had been at Aurelia during the sabotage window.
Not merely on the property.
Within thirty feet of the lower cellar.
Daniel called law enforcement.
Peter did not answer his phone.
His apartment was empty.
His car was gone.
But at 7:12 that evening, Samuel Price called me.
Not Andrew.
Me.
“Claire.”
“Samuel.”
“I’m hearing some extraordinary accusations.”
“I haven’t accused you of anything.”
“People around you have.”
“Then speak to them.”
He laughed softly.
“You’re learning quickly.”
“My grandmother taught me.”
“That’s what worries me.”
The mask slipped.
Barely.
But enough.
“Did you send Peter Sloan into my cellar?”
“No.”
“Did you know he was related to Marianne Vale?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
“Did you hire him?”
“No.”
“Did you recommend him?”
Another pause.
“Perhaps.”
My heart pounded.
“You wanted Andrew to fail.”
“I wanted Andrew to make rational decisions.”
“You financed him into desperation.”
“Nobody forced him to borrow.”
That was true.
Predators don’t create every weakness.
Sometimes they simply wait beside it.
Samuel continued.
“You should sell Aurelia.”
“To you?”
“To someone.”
“Why?”
“Because you are surrounded by people who want pieces of it.”
“Including you.”
“Especially me.”
At least he was finished pretending.
“What do you want?”
“The wine business.”
“Not the land?”
“I don’t build hotels.”
“You destroy companies.”
“I restructure them.”
“Do you know where Peter is?”
“No.”
“Would you tell me if you did?”
“No.”
I gripped the phone.
Samuel’s voice softened.
“Claire, here is what nobody will say because they’re all trying to manipulate you.”
“I’m listening.”
“Andrew’s company is dead.”
My chest tightened.
“Maybe.”
“Charles’s resort is overleveraged. Halcyon is exposed. Vanessa is trying to save herself. Evelyn is trying to save her daughter. And your estate is the single valuable asset everyone believes can cover their mistakes.”
“And?”
“You cannot rescue all of them.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“Good.”
He paused.
“Pick who survives.”
The call ended.
I stood in Daniel’s office staring at the city lights.
Pick who survives.
That was how men like Samuel viewed business.
Pieces.
Assets.
Winners.
Losers.
Then my daughter kicked.
And I thought about Bennett employees.
Aurelia workers.
Families.
People who never attended billionaire wine tastings.
People who would suffer because powerful adults had gambled around them.
I turned to Daniel.
“Can we buy Bennett Global debt?”
Andrew stared at me.
“What?”
Daniel’s eyebrows rose.
“Potentially.”
“How much?”
“Depends which tranche.”
Andrew stood.
“Claire.”
I ignored him.
“What if Aurelia’s holding company purchases enough senior debt to block Samuel and Halcyon from forcing liquidation?”
Daniel leaned back.
“That would be complicated.”
“Possible?”
“Yes.”
Andrew stared at me.
“You’d save Bennett?”
I looked at him.
“No.”
Hope disappeared from his face.
“I’d save the employees.”
May you like
Then I turned to Daniel.
“And after that, I want Andrew removed.”
