Chapter 15: Adrian's Test
1541 Words
At eight the next morning, Elena received an invitation from Adrian Vale.
Not a phone call.
Not a message.
An official invitation delivered directly to her office.
She opened the envelope.
Miss Sinclair,
I believe it is time you saw what you're actually being asked to inherit.
Meet me at nine.
—Adrian Vale
Elena read it twice.
Grace stood across from her desk.
“What does he want?”
“I don't know.”
“Are you going?”
“Yes.”
Grace frowned.
“After the warning?”
“Especially because of the warning.”
Elena folded the invitation.
“If someone wants me afraid of Adrian, I need to know why.”
---
Adrian was waiting in a private conference room at Vale International.
He stood beside a large screen displaying financial charts.
When Elena entered, he checked his watch.
“Eight fifty-eight.”
“I hate being late.”
“You're becoming predictable.”
She sat across from him.
“What is this?”
Adrian pressed a button.
A financial chart appeared.
“Madison Heights.”
“I know the project.”
“Do you know what it's worth?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
He changed the screen.
New figures appeared.
Elena stared.
“These numbers are different.”
“Because the numbers you have are incomplete.”
He pointed to the projection.
“Black Empire valued Madison Heights using current property prices. This valuation includes the proposed transportation expansion, new commercial zoning, and an infrastructure contract being negotiated with the city.”
Elena's eyes widened.
The projected value was nearly double.
“Why doesn't Black Empire have this information?”
“Because someone hasn't told them.”
“Who?”
“That isn't today's test.”
Elena looked at him.
“Test?”
Adrian smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
She leaned back.
“I knew there was a reason for this meeting.”
“You're on probation. If you want to inherit an empire, you need to learn how to distinguish information from manipulation.”
He placed three folders on the table.
“Each contains a proposal.”
Elena opened the first.
A private equity firm offered two hundred million dollars in exchange for a forty-percent stake.
The second was a bank loan with high interest.
The third was an internal restructuring proposal that would require Black Empire to freeze several projects.
Adrian checked his watch.
“You have twenty minutes.”
Elena looked up.
“And then?”
“You choose one.”
“Why?”
“To see how you think under pressure.”
Elena frowned.
“You're enjoying this.”
“Perhaps.”
She studied the three proposals.
The private equity offer gave away too much control.
The bank loan created dangerous financial pressure.
The internal restructuring weakened other divisions.
Elena closed the folders.
“I choose none.”
Adrian's eyebrow lifted.
“Why?”
“They're all designed to solve the immediate problem while creating a bigger one.”
“Explain.”
“The private equity firm wants control. The bank wants interest. The restructuring weakens our other divisions.”
She leaned forward.
“So why would I choose any of them?”
“Because you don't have unlimited time.”
“I have enough time to negotiate.”
“With whom?”
“The people offering these deals.”
Adrian smiled.
“You're avoiding the test.”
“No.”
Elena looked directly at him.
“I've learned something. If someone gives me three choices and tells me I must choose one, the first thing I should ask is why those are the only choices.”
Adrian's expression changed.
For the first time, she saw genuine approval in his eyes.
“Good.”
He pressed another button.
The three proposals disappeared.
A fourth appeared.
Elena stared.
“What's that?”
“A fourth option.”
She read it.
Her eyes widened.
“This is your proposal.”
“Yes.”
“Three hundred million.”
“Yes.”
“Minority stake.”
“Yes.”
“Black Empire keeps control.”
“Yes.”
“And I remain in charge.”
“Yes.”
Elena looked at him.
“You deliberately left this out.”
“I wanted to see whether you'd choose one of the other options without questioning the premise.”
“And if I had?”
“I would have known you weren't ready.”
Elena stood.
“You manipulated me.”
“I tested you.”
“There's a difference?”
“A significant one.”
She walked toward the window.
“I don't like being tested.”
“You'll be tested every day if you inherit the Black Empire.”
Elena turned.
“By you?”
“By everyone.”
Adrian's voice became serious.
“The board will test you. Your family will test you. Your competitors will test you. And some people will test you because they want you to fail.”
Elena thought about the forged signature, stolen money, leaked information, and threats.
“You know something.”
“I have suspicions.”
“Who?”
“Not enough evidence.”
“Tell me.”
“I won't.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
“Because suspicion without proof can destroy innocent people.”
Elena went silent.
She hated that he was right.
Adrian placed another folder on the table.
“This is the real test.”
Elena opened it.
Inside were confidential Black Empire documents.
Her expression hardened.
“Where did you get these?”
“From your company.”
“You broke into our system?”
“No.”
“Then how?”
“I have people who know how to find information.”
She scanned the documents.
“These are confidential.”
“Yes.”
“And you're showing them to me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To see whether you notice what's wrong.”
Elena read the first page.
Then another.
She suddenly stopped.
“This number.”
Adrian looked at her.
“What about it?”
“It doesn't match the financial report.”
“Good.”
She continued reading.
“This supplier doesn't exist.”
Adrian's expression changed slightly.
“Exactly.”
“Someone created a fake supplier.”
“And charged the company.”
“How much?”
Elena calculated.
“Seven-point-four million dollars.”
Adrian nodded.
“Now ask yourself the important question.”
“Who approved it?”
“Exactly.”
Elena looked at the authorization signature.
Her eyes narrowed.
She knew the name.
“Victor.”
Adrian remained silent.
Elena's stomach tightened.
“Are you telling me Victor approved a fake supplier?”
“I'm telling you his authorization appears on the document.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
Adrian gave a faint smile.
“Good.”
Elena closed the folder.
“You wanted me to accuse him.”
“No.”
“You wanted me to suspect him.”
“No.”
“Then what did you want?”
“To see whether you would.”
Elena understood.
The test wasn't about finding the answer.
It was about how she handled incomplete information.
She looked at Adrian.
“You're dangerous.”
“I've been told.”
“And annoying.”
“Frequently.”
She almost smiled.
Then her phone rang.
Grace.
Elena answered.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
“With Adrian.”
Grace lowered her voice.
“We have a problem.”
“What happened?”
“Someone accessed your office.”
Elena froze.
“When?”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
“Did they steal anything?”
“No.”
“Then what did they do?”
Grace hesitated.
“They left something on your desk.”
“What?”
“A photograph.”
Elena's heart began pounding.
“Of what?”
“Your grandfather.”
Elena's expression changed.
“Send it to me.”
“I already did.”
Elena opened the photograph.
It showed Alexander leaving Black Empire Holdings.
She turned it over.
Four words were written on the back.
Ask him about the first heir.
Elena's blood ran cold.
She looked at Adrian.
“What is it?”
She placed the photograph on the table.
“Someone wants me to investigate my grandfather.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“Don't.”
Elena stared at him.
“Why?”
For the first time, Adrian looked genuinely concerned.
“Because whatever happened to the first heir is something your family has spent decades trying to keep buried.”
Elena's heart stopped.
“The first heir?”
Adrian said nothing.
She stepped closer.
“You know something.”
His silence was answer enough.
“Adrian.”
He finally looked at her.
“You're not ready for that truth.”
Elena picked up the photograph.
“Then I'll become ready.”
She walked toward the door.
Behind her, Adrian watched her leave.
The test was over.
But he knew something Elena didn't.
The person testing her was no longer interested in making her fail.
They wanted her to start digging.
And once Elena Sinclair discovered what had happened to the first heir, there would be no turning back.
End of Chapter 15
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