Chapter 7 - The Contract That Wasn’t His
The following morning at eight-forty-five, I arrived at the Meridian headquarters for the emergency board meeting. As the holder of forty-two percent of voting shares, my presence was mandatory. Marcus was already in the small ante-room outside the executive boardroom, sipping tea with David Sterling.
""Trevor Cole called an extraordinary session,"" Marcus told me in low tones. ""Cole Capital bought out two of the minor angel shares over the weekend. Between their stake and your shares, Ryan no longer holds a veto on operational governance.""
When the boardroom doors opened, Ryan was sitting at the head of the table, flanked by his personal lawyer. He looked exhausted, the alcohol from the night before leaving a grayish pallor on his skin. Chloe was not present; after the incident at the gala, she had claimed exhaustion and remained at the Montecito estate.
Trevor Cole did not sit down. He dropped a thick leather portfolio onto the center of the table and leaned forward, resting his knuckles on the wood.
""We are here today to address two items of urgent business,"" Trevor began without greeting anyone. ""First: the forensic audit of Meridian’s executive expense accounts over the past nine months. Second: the restructuring of executive leadership to prevent involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy.""
Ryan scoffed, leaning back in his chair with forced casualness. ""Bankruptcy? That’s absurd, Trevor. We had a temporary logistics hiccup because a former officer withheld proprietary vendor routing. We’re currently closing an eight-million-dollar inventory bridge loan with a private equity group out of Dallas.""
""The Dallas group pulled their term sheet forty minutes ago,"" Trevor stated flatly.
Ryan’s eyes widened. ""What?""
""They ran a background check on the collateral you pledged,"" Trevor continued, pulling a document from the folder. ""You attempted to pledge the master licensing rights for the automated checkout software. The problem is, you don't own those rights. Natalie Vance’s private holding company does. Pledging assets you do not own to secure an institutional loan is criminal bank fraud, Ryan. The Dallas lenders have already forwarded the draft agreement to the Securities and Exchange Commission.""
Ryan turned violently toward his lawyer, who simply held up both hands in a gesture of helpless defeat. ""I told you last week, Ryan, we couldn't verify the title on that IP without Natalie's signature.""
""You set me up!"" Ryan roared, glaring across the table at me, his fists slamming into the mahogany surface so hard the water glasses rattled. ""You knew that software was the only leverage I had left! You let me walk into that negotiation knowing the title was held under your name!""
""I didn't set you up, Ryan,"" I answered calmly. ""You simply never bothered to read the documents you signed. You spent nine years assuming that because you stood in front of the camera, the entire world belonged to you. You didn't care who owned the software as long as the money hit your bank account to pay for sports cars and private jets.""
Trevor Cole cleared his throat, pulling another set of papers from the binder. ""Which brings us to the second matter: the personal audit. Over the last eight months, Mr. Hayes authorized four hundred and eighty thousand dollars in discretionary payments to Miss Chloe Sanders under the category of 'specialized brand consulting.' In addition, the lease on a luxury oceanfront penthouse in Marina del Rey was paid directly from Meridian’s operating reserves between October and March of last year.""
Ryan waved his hand dismissively. ""Chloe was working directly with me on creative strategy! And the apartment was a corporate housing facility for visiting production talent!""
""The lease was executed in September of last year,"" Trevor said, his voice dropping into a chilling register. ""Two months before you claim your relationship with Miss Sanders began. And the primary tenant listed on the utility records wasn't Meridian Commerce. It was Chloe Sanders."" Trevor paused, his dark eyes locking onto Ryan with a strange, predatory intensity. ""And her frequent guest of record during that entire six-month period was not you, Ryan.""
May you like
Ryan froze, his mouth half-open. ""What are you talking about?""
""I think you know what I’m talking about,"" Trevor replied softly. ""Or perhaps you don't. Perhaps you were just as gullible in your personal life as you were with your corporate assets.""
