Chapter 14 - Two Point Four Million Dollars“I can pay it.”
Marcus said the words in Naomi’s office.
Simone stood immediately.
“No.”
“You owe two point four million.”
“I know what I owe.”
“I can wire it today.”
“And become your dependent again.”
Marcus stared.
“This is not the time for pride.”
“That’s exactly what you said when I asked you to co-sign the arts-center lease.”
“Because the numbers were bad.”
“They were.”
“So I was right.”
“That isn’t the point.”
Marcus rubbed his temples.
Naomi interrupted.
“The loan cannot simply be repaid without reviewing prepayment provisions, collateral release mechanics and potential claims.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Can he seize the shares Friday?”
“Not instantly.”
Simone exhaled.
Naomi continued.
“But default remedies are serious. He may initiate enforcement. The shareholder agreement also gives Carter Prestige and certain existing shareholders rights if shares are transferred.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Right of first refusal.”
“Potentially.”
“So even if he forecloses—”
“He does not automatically get unrestricted control.”
Simone sat.
“Grant knew that.”
“Yes,” Naomi said. “Which means perhaps the loan was less about acquiring the shares directly and more about controlling your vote through pressure.”
Marcus looked toward his sister.
“Which worked.”
Simone met his eyes.
“For a while.”
That hurt.
She continued.
“I never voted to remove you.”
“You signed the Mercer amendment.”
“I know.”
“You authorized the compliance account.”
“I know.”
Marcus stopped.
They were circling.
Naomi said, “We need a solution to the loan that does not create another family power imbalance.”
Simone looked at her.
“Thank you.”
Marcus frowned.
“I’m trying to keep Grant out.”
“And I’m trying to stop replacing one creditor with my brother.”
Marcus said, “I wouldn’t charge you interest.”
“That makes it worse.”
“How?”
“Because then every Christmas for the rest of my life, I’d feel like you owned the chair I was sitting in.”
Marcus leaned back.
That sounded ridiculous.
Then he remembered the warehouse.
Maybe it wasn’t.
Naomi proposed a structure.
Carter Prestige could exercise contractual rights through an independent special committee if Grant attempted a collateral transfer.
Separately, Simone could refinance through a third-party bank if she disclosed the debt, corrected the foundation accounting and pledged non-company assets.
“What assets?” Simone asked.
“Your apartment.”
She winced.
“Your investment account.”
Another wince.
“And once Marcus resolves the Southfield obligation, your legitimate property interest may improve your balance sheet.”
Marcus looked at her.
“I’ll establish the trust now.”
Simone shook her head.
“Not as a rescue.”
“It should have happened six years ago.”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m doing it.”
“After an independent accounting.”
“Fine.”
“And I want counsel separate from yours.”
“Fine.”
“And I want the past distributions calculated.”
Marcus inhaled.
“Fine.”
Simone stared.
“That was too easy.”
“I’m learning.”
“Slowly.”
“Very.”
Naomi actually smiled.
Then her assistant entered.
“There’s someone downstairs asking for Mr. Carter.”
“Who?”
“Owen Blake.”
Everyone went still.
Owen was escorted upstairs with his attorney.
He was forty-one, thin, exhausted and far less impressive than the villain Marcus had built in his imagination.
Owen sat.
“I emptied Grant’s storage units.”
Naomi said, “Why?”
“He told me to destroy files.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Where are they?”
“My attorney has them.”
Naomi looked at Owen’s lawyer.
She nodded.
Owen continued.
“I knew things were going too far.”
Marcus’s voice turned cold.
“When? Before or after my son was humiliated?”
Owen looked down.
“After.”
“Convenient.”
“Yes.”
Marcus had not expected agreement.
Owen went on.
“Grant hired me to identify organizational pressure points.”
“You trained my managers to profile guests.”
“Yes.”
“You deleted an employee complaint.”
“Yes.”
Simone whispered, “You deleted my voicemail.”
Owen looked at her.
“Yes.”
Marcus stood.
Naomi said his name quietly.
He remained where he was.
Owen’s face tightened.
“I’m not asking forgiveness.”
“Good.”
“I’m asking for protection under whatever cooperation agreement your counsel can legally offer.”
Naomi replied immediately.
“We cannot offer immunity from prosecution. We are not prosecutors.”
“I understand.”
“Nor can we promise you continued work.”
“I understand.”
Owen removed a small drive.
“My lawyer has a forensic copy. This contains Project Redline drafts, Grant’s instructions and recordings.”
Marcus stared.
“Why record him?”
“Because Grant records everybody metaphorically.”
Owen gave a humorless smile.
“I decided to do it literally.”
Naomi took the drive but did not insert it.
Chain of custody first.
Owen continued.
“There’s something else.”
Marcus waited.
“The Lamborghini incident wasn’t planned.”
“We know.”
“But once it happened, Grant wanted it amplified.”
“How?”
“He paid a media contractor to boost the first video.”
Marcus’s face hardened.
“The viral post?”
“Yes.”
“Did he edit it?”
“No.”
“Did he fake anything?”
“No. He didn’t need to.”
That was somehow worse.
Truth itself had been weaponized.
Owen looked at Marcus.
“He said your instinct would be to defend your son and your company simultaneously.”
“That sounds obvious.”
“He said you’d fail because you couldn’t do both.”
Marcus glanced toward Simone.
Perhaps Grant was wrong.
Owen added, “There’s one recording you need to hear.”
Naomi asked, “Of Grant?”
“Yes.”
“What does he say?”
Owen looked at Simone.
“He explains why he chose her.”
Simone’s face tightened.
“Play it.”
Owen’s attorney objected.
Naomi insisted on proper transfer first.
Twenty minutes later, the recording began.
Grant’s voice:
Marcus Carter believes loyalty is permanent because he confuses gratitude with ownership. Simone is the one person who can hurt him because she already believes he took what belonged to her. You don’t create betrayal. You just give resentment a business model.
Simone closed her eyes.
Marcus looked at his sister.
May you like
![92 The Girl They Called Broke Was a Billionaire’s Daughter—But Her Father’s Arrival Exposed a Secret Powerful People Had Buried for Years]](https://cdn.treeiq.biz/site_590/2026/11/clone-0-0915d882-53d7-4d17-b43a-a010ca1a1068.webp)
Grant had understood them.
That did not mean he had to be right about them forever.
Related Stories
