The Ten Percent Settlement

Chapter6: The Name

Grace came to the house instead of calling, which told Adrian something was wrong before she said a word. “You should sit down,” she said. “I’m fine standing.” “Sit down anyway.” He didn’t, but he put his coffee on the counter and waited. Grace held a single sheet of paper against her chest for a moment before handing it to him. “I traced the payments through three shell accounts and two burner numbers,” she said. “It took longer than it should have because whoever set this up knew how you move money and information. This wasn't someone watching from outside. They had access to your inner circle.” Adrian looked at her. “Who?” Grace took a breath. “Daniel.” The name caught him off guard. Daniel Reyes had been his COO for eleven years. He had stood beside Adrian at his wedding and had been there the night Adrian closed the Whitmore deal. He was also the only person Adrian had trusted enough to tell what had really happened. “That's not possible,” Adrian said. “I checked it four times,” Grace replied. “The payments to Marcus's people go through an account Daniel opened under his sister's name. And the phone used to give Victoria information about Whitmore was registered to an address Daniel used before he moved into the house you helped him buy.” Adrian took the paper from her, but he didn't need to read it. His mind was already going back eleven years, to the smaller office where he had told Daniel the truth about Whitmore because he had trusted him to keep it buried. “Where is he?” “His office. He doesn't know I told you.” Adrian was already heading for the door.

Daniel was exactly where Grace had said he would be. His jacket was off, his sleeves were rolled up, and he was going through a folder at his desk as though it were any other Tuesday. He looked up when Adrian entered. For a moment, neither man spoke. Then Daniel closed the folder. “You know.” It wasn't a question. Adrian shut the door behind him. “How long?” Daniel leaned back in his chair. “Does it matter?” “It matters to me. Eleven years, Daniel. I told you about Whitmore because I trusted you with something I never told anyone else. Not Victoria. Not my family. You.” Daniel nodded slowly. “And I kept it for eleven years.” “Until when?” “Until it stopped being worth keeping.” Adrian stared at him. Daniel didn't look frightened or guilty. If anything, he seemed relieved that the truth was finally out. “Marcus offered me something I couldn't get here,” he said. “You made me rich, Adrian. I'll give you that. But you never made me a partner. Eleven years, and I still work for you. I don't work with you. There's a difference, and you never seemed to notice it.”

“So you sold me out for a title?” Adrian asked. “It's never just a title.” Daniel's voice remained calm. “You built an empire and made sure everyone knew it was yours. I helped you build it, but I was always the man who worked for Adrian Hale.” “You could have left.”

“And gone where? I had money, but I didn't have your name or your influence. Marcus gave me a way to change that.” Adrian stepped closer to the desk. “By helping him attack my company?”

“By taking an opportunity you refused to give me.” Daniel's eyes hardened for the first time. “You want to be angry with me, fine. But don't pretend you never benefited from people doing whatever it took to get ahead. You just made sure you were always the one holding the cards.” Adrian said nothing. Daniel picked up the folder again. “There's something else you should know. I didn't just give Marcus information about Whitmore.” Adrian's expression changed. “What else did you give him?” Daniel looked at him for a long moment. “Information about you.”

“What information?” Adrian asked. Daniel didn't answer immediately. Instead, he opened the folder and looked down at the documents inside. “You think Victoria divorced a rich man. You think Marcus is attacking a rich man's company. That's what everyone believes.” He looked back at Adrian. “But I know what you're actually worth.” Adrian's jaw tightened. “You don't.” “I do.” Daniel's voice was quiet. “The real number. Not what Victoria thinks she walked away from. Not what's listed in any filing. The real figure.”

Adrian took another step toward the desk. “How?” Daniel gave a small shrug. “I've been your COO for eleven years. I know where the money goes. I know which companies belong to you, which ones don't appear under your name, and how much you've kept outside Hale Holdings.” Adrian felt the anger in his chest settle into something colder. Daniel wasn't bluffing. If he had spent eleven years inside the company, he could know things Adrian had never imagined anyone outside his closest advisers could see.

“And what else do you know?” Adrian asked. Daniel looked at him, and for the first time there was something almost sympathetic in his expression. “Something you're going to want kept quiet a lot more than Whitmore.” Adrian went still. “What?” Daniel said nothing. He closed the folder and placed both hands on top of it. “That's the part you're going to have to hear before you decide what happens to me.” Adrian stared at him. “Tell me.” Daniel shook his head. “Not standing up.” He pointed to the chair opposite his desk. “You should sit down for this one too.” Adrian didn't move. Daniel held his gaze. “Trust me.”