{"id":8198,"date":"2026-09-25T19:20:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=8198"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:20:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:20:16","slug":"part-7-the-forged-authorizations-led-straight-to-daniels-father-but-his-explanation-revealed-someone-else-had-been-directing-the-scheme-from-inside-the-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=8198","title":{"rendered":"PART 7 \u2013 The Forged Authorizations Led Straight to Daniel\u2019s Father, but His Explanation Revealed Someone Else Had Been Directing the Scheme From Inside the Company"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Robert Prescott arrived at headquarters at 1:17 that afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>He did not come willingly.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa called him despite Nina\u2019s instruction not to, though she did it only after hiring an attorney.<\/p>\n<p>By then, preservation notices had gone out.<\/p>\n<p>Electronic access had been restricted.<\/p>\n<p>Corporate records were copied.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody could quietly delete enough to matter.<\/p>\n<p>Robert entered through the fifth-floor reception area with his attorney beside him and anger already prepared.<\/p>\n<p>He had always been good at anger.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel learned much of it from him.<\/p>\n<p>Robert believed volume could convert accusation into authority.<\/p>\n<p>It worked at family dinners.<\/p>\n<p>It did not work in Nina\u2019s temporary interview room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI notarized legitimate documents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Nina placed the first authorization on the table.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou notarized Claire Morgan\u2019s signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas she present?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert looked at his attorney.<\/p>\n<p>The attorney said, \u201cAnswer only if you remember clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert\u2019s eyes hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t recall the exact circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I sat across from him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou remember telling me at dinner that nobody cared about ancient paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re tearing the family apart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re discussing your notarial seal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou started this over a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nearly admired the refusal to acknowledge reality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNine point four million dollars in suspicious transactions is not a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His expression shifted.<\/p>\n<p>Very slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was interesting.<\/p>\n<p>Nina caught it too.<\/p>\n<p>She asked, \u201cWere you unaware of the total?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert looked away.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney placed a hand near his sleeve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobert, don\u2019t speculate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Nina slid the document closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Claire sign this in your presence?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert stared at it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The answer surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>Not because it was honest.<\/p>\n<p>Because it arrived so quickly.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Nina remained still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did you notarize it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel said she had signed earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA notary does not certify that someone signed earlier somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know how notarization works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why did you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was family paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt a cold disbelief settle over me.<\/p>\n<p>Family paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase joined administrative strategy and strategic facilitation in the growing dictionary of words used to make misconduct sound ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many documents?\u201d Nina asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSix bear your seal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen six.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive contain Claire\u2019s signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Claire says she signed none.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t remember every paper you sign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had used the same idea.<\/p>\n<p>Trust as weakness.<\/p>\n<p>Memory as defense.<\/p>\n<p>I leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember documents that alter voting control over a company I own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople sign things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you see me sign?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen stop pretending my memory is the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His face reddened.<\/p>\n<p>His attorney quietly told him to stay calm.<\/p>\n<p>Nina asked, \u201cWho gave you the documents?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll six?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas anyone else present?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAndrew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMelissa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce or twice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>There.<\/p>\n<p>Nina said, \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward his attorney.<\/p>\n<p>The attorney asked, \u201cIs answering likely to expose another person?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow would I know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust answer factually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I did not recognize the name.<\/p>\n<p>Nina did.<\/p>\n<p>Her pen paused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimon Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert nodded.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho is that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCorporate development consultant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus answered from near the door.<\/p>\n<p>He had joined us ten minutes earlier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot consultant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We all turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus walked farther into the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimon Vale has been advising Daniel directly for almost a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAcquisitions. Capital. Sale options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy haven\u2019t I seen his name?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wasn\u2019t officially employed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas he paid?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus looked at Nina.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI assume through Andrew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina immediately opened the transfer schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew\u2019s consulting company.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of thousands.<\/p>\n<p>Pass-through expenses.<\/p>\n<p>Several entries labeled external advisory services.<\/p>\n<p>Omar, who was reviewing records remotely, was called into the room by video.<\/p>\n<p>Nina asked, \u201cCan you trace payments from Bell Advisory to Simon Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGive me a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert shifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis has nothing to do with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou notarized five forged signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI notarized signatures Daniel told me were real.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is not how notarization works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was trying to help my son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Not protect the company.<\/p>\n<p>Not follow procedure.<\/p>\n<p>Help my son.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cDid you know Daniel planned to divorce me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert\u2019s expression answered before he did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The word hurt less than I expected.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe because the day had exhausted my capacity for surprise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA few months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you know before our anniversary dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room felt suddenly smaller.<\/p>\n<p>His joke.<\/p>\n<p>His mother\u2019s laughter.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa\u2019s camera.<\/p>\n<p>Andrew\u2019s grin.<\/p>\n<p>They knew.<\/p>\n<p>Not everything.<\/p>\n<p>But enough.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cDid everyone at that table know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert sighed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour mother-in-law knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mother-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I repeated it because the phrase sounded absurdly formal after nine years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMelissa?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knew things weren\u2019t good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAndrew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy celebrate our anniversary if Daniel planned to leave me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat dinner was your idea.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was Daniel\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He frowned.<\/p>\n<p>Then looked genuinely confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel said you insisted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, something did not fit.<\/p>\n<p>I had not insisted.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had booked Bellmont House himself.<\/p>\n<p>He told me he wanted to \u201cmake an effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Why create an anniversary dinner during preparations for divorce and a secret sale?<\/p>\n<p>Why bring the family together?<\/p>\n<p>Why encourage Melissa to film?<\/p>\n<p>A thought formed.<\/p>\n<p>Unpleasant.<\/p>\n<p>Deliberate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNina.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She was already watching me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe video.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGet the original.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa sat in the outer room.<\/p>\n<p>Nina asked her to bring in her phone.<\/p>\n<p>The video lasted three minutes and fourteen seconds.<\/p>\n<p>It started before Daniel\u2019s toast.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa had been filming table decorations.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother laughed off camera.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s voice appeared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMake sure you get this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then the frame shifted.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel stood.<\/p>\n<p>Champagne glass raised.<\/p>\n<p>To nine years.<\/p>\n<p>To the biggest mistake of my life.<\/p>\n<p>The laughter.<\/p>\n<p>My face.<\/p>\n<p>The argument.<\/p>\n<p>Freeloader.<\/p>\n<p>Everything.<\/p>\n<p>But now, knowing Daniel expected a divorce, the scene looked different.<\/p>\n<p>Nina watched twice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy tell Melissa to film?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus asked.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>I felt sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wanted evidence of me reacting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAngry wife. Unstable spouse. Public scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina remained careful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat would require proof of intent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel told Melissa to record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo he planned the dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert stared at the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told us you organized it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>The video continued.<\/p>\n<p>My voice.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll wish you hadn\u2019t said that.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel:<\/p>\n<p>Listen to the freeloader making threats.<\/p>\n<p>The word threats landed differently now.<\/p>\n<p>Nina rewound.<\/p>\n<p>Played it again.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had prompted exactly the language that could later be described as aggression.<\/p>\n<p>He called my response a threat.<\/p>\n<p>In front of witnesses.<\/p>\n<p>While being recorded.<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was building a narrative,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Nina nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have spent the last hour explaining documents you notarized without me present because Daniel asked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Omar.<\/p>\n<p>Nina put him on speaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe traced three Bell Advisory payments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow much?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTotal two hundred forty thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo Simon Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes. Through an entity called Vale Strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus swore under his breath.<\/p>\n<p>I asked, \u201cWhat exactly did Simon do?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Omar answered, \u201cInvoices say transaction architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course they did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny direct correspondence?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found emails.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetween whom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimon, Andrew, and Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShow us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A secure link arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Nina opened the first message.<\/p>\n<p>Simon Vale to Daniel:<\/p>\n<p>Claire\u2019s consent remains the single largest closing risk.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel:<\/p>\n<p>Understood.<\/p>\n<p>Simon:<\/p>\n<p>Do not force the issue directly. Get routine signatures first. Normalize the paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n<p>Routine signatures.<\/p>\n<p>Normalize the paperwork.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about all the documents Daniel had placed in front of me over the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Insurance changes.<\/p>\n<p>Vendor renewals.<\/p>\n<p>Benefits updates.<\/p>\n<p>Had he been studying when I read closely and when I did not?<\/p>\n<p>Another email.<\/p>\n<p>Simon:<\/p>\n<p>If she becomes suspicious, the personal dispute can create negotiating leverage.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel:<\/p>\n<p>Explain.<\/p>\n<p>Simon:<\/p>\n<p>You need separation between marital narrative and corporate reality. Make her look disengaged before she asserts control.<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Robert stared at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>His face had lost all color.<\/p>\n<p>I asked Nina to scroll.<\/p>\n<p>Simon:<\/p>\n<p>If necessary, establish emotional volatility. Witnesses help.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel:<\/p>\n<p>That won\u2019t be hard.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time that day, I stopped feeling cold.<\/p>\n<p>Anger arrived fully.<\/p>\n<p>Not loud.<\/p>\n<p>Not wild.<\/p>\n<p>Clean.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel had not merely insulted me.<\/p>\n<p>Someone had advised him to create a story about who I was.<\/p>\n<p>And Daniel had tried.<\/p>\n<p>Freeloader.<\/p>\n<p>Threat.<\/p>\n<p>Disengaged spouse.<\/p>\n<p>Financially dependent wife.<\/p>\n<p>A woman who did not understand the company.<\/p>\n<p>Every insult had function.<\/p>\n<p>Every omission had purpose.<\/p>\n<p>My marriage had been converted into litigation strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Marcus read the email again.<\/p>\n<p>Then looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis Simon guy put ideas in Daniel\u2019s head.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The speed with which he tried to relocate blame almost made me laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDaniel is forty-one years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe forged my signature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I pointed at the screen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis account created the document.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert\u2019s attorney finally intervened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobert, stop talking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For once, Robert listened.<\/p>\n<p>Nina opened additional messages.<\/p>\n<p>Simon discussed increasing family loyalty before closing.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping Daniel\u2019s parents supportive.<\/p>\n<p>Creating side allocations.<\/p>\n<p>Ensuring Andrew remained compensated.<\/p>\n<p>Reducing the likelihood of internal dissent.<\/p>\n<p>My exclusion was discussed as an operational problem.<\/p>\n<p>Not a moral issue.<\/p>\n<p>Not a marital crisis.<\/p>\n<p>A transaction obstacle.<\/p>\n<p>Then we found the email that shifted everything again.<\/p>\n<p>Simon to Daniel:<\/p>\n<p>Before we proceed with final signatures, confirm you have the Morgan trust schedule.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel:<\/p>\n<p>Andrew is getting it.<\/p>\n<p>Simon:<\/p>\n<p>Do not move without it. If Claire\u2019s father structured the inheritance the way we suspect, the trust may have blocking rights beyond her stock.<\/p>\n<p>I stared at the message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father\u2019s trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina looked sharply at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat rights?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve never reviewed the full trust against Prescott Holdings?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot in years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert looked confused.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered him.<\/p>\n<p>I stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father created the Morgan Family Trust before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt funded your original investment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else does it control?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome real estate. Securities. The lake house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrescott Holdings?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought.<\/p>\n<p>Then remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Not documents.<\/p>\n<p>A conversation.<\/p>\n<p>My father sitting in his study months before his final hospitalization.<\/p>\n<p>If Daniel\u2019s company ever becomes worth something, keep the operating business separate from the protective entity.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, I assumed he meant taxes.<\/p>\n<p>Now I was not sure.<\/p>\n<p>Nina asked, \u201cWhere is the original trust schedule?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy lake house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus said, \u201cToday?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before we could move, Omar interrupted through the laptop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA request from Andrew Bell to a records-storage company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he request?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA copy of the Morgan Family Trust annex.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I froze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he get it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy would Andrew know about that annex?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody answered.<\/p>\n<p>Then Robert spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimon knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned toward him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert looked older suddenly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked me about Claire\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he ask?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether Henry Morgan was the kind of man who hid protections inside trusts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd what did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became silent.<\/p>\n<p>My father had been dead twelve years.<\/p>\n<p>Yet somehow, in the middle of Daniel\u2019s plan to erase me, the people advising him had become afraid of paperwork Henry Morgan created before Prescott Logistics was worth anything.<\/p>\n<p>I picked up my coat.<\/p>\n<p>Nina gathered her files.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As we reached the door, Marcus said, \u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked at Robert.<\/p>\n<p>Then at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSimon Vale is in the building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe came in through the executive entrance thirty minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe asked security for Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nina\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Marcus checked his phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFifth-floor west conference room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The same floor.<\/p>\n<p>Less than sixty feet away.<\/p>\n<p>The man who had described me as the company\u2019s largest closing risk had walked into my building while we were reading his emails.<\/p>\n<p>And according to security, he had no idea we knew he was there.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=8199\">Click here to continue reading: PART 8: Simon Vale Came to Rescue Daniel\u2019s Deal, but the Document in His Briefcase Revealed Why My Father Had Protected Me Years Before<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robert Prescott arrived at headquarters at 1:17 that afternoon. He did not come willingly. Melissa called him despite Nina\u2019s instruction not to, though she did it only after hiring an &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8238,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8198\/revisions\/8238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}