Chapter 4 - The Dinner That Became an Investigation
The emergency Sterling board meeting began at noon.
By 12:08, Lucas was shouting.
“This is a family conspiracy!”
Michael sat at the far end of the polished walnut table.
Willow sat beside him.
Richard sat opposite.
Ten board members filled the room.
Outside the glass walls, Chicago spread thirty floors below.
Ellen Shaw opened a folder.
“We have confirmed that Sterling Capital transferred eighty-four million dollars to Ashcroft Meridian.”
Lucas pointed at her.
“For a legitimate acquisition.”
“Of what?” Ellen asked.
Lucas hesitated.
“Strategic assets.”
“Name them.”
“That information is confidential.”
Ellen stared at him.
“You’re speaking to the board.”
Richard intervened.
“The acquisition hasn’t closed.”
Michael said, “Then where’s the money?”
Richard’s eyes hardened.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“No.”
Michael folded his hands.
“I’m embarrassed for your father.”
Richard flinched.
Michael continued.
“He trusted my family.”
Richard whispered, “Don’t mention my father.”
“Why? Because he would have thrown you out himself?”
Lucas slammed his palm against the table.
“Enough.”
Willow looked at him.
Lucas saw her.
His anger shifted immediately.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m listening.”
“This doesn’t concern you.”
“You transferred eighty-four million dollars while we were married.”
“That doesn’t make it your business.”
Willow gave a humorless laugh.
“You hit me last night because I embarrassed your family. Now your family finances don’t concern me?”
Lucas leaned back.
“You’ve always been jealous of what you don’t understand.”
Michael started to speak.
Willow touched his arm.
“No.”
She looked at Lucas.
“Let him keep talking.”
Lucas stared at her.
Willow continued.
“You spent five years telling me I was lucky you chose me.”
“I gave you everything.”
“You gave me rules.”
“I gave you a life.”
“You gave me a cage with good lighting.”
A board member looked away.
Lucas’s face tightened.
“Without me, your gallery would fail.”
“No.”
Willow leaned closer.
“Without you, I might finally enjoy running it.”
Ellen interrupted.
“We have another issue.”
She slid copies across the table.
Willow looked down.
Payments.
Millions.
Consulting contracts.
Real estate entities.
Michael scanned the pages.
“What am I looking at?”
Ellen answered.
“Payments totaling one hundred thirty-seven million dollars over six years.”
“To whom?”
“Entities connected to Ashcroft Meridian.”
Richard became still.
Michael looked up.
“You knew.”
Richard said nothing.
Lucas turned to his father.
“Dad?”
Richard remained silent.
Lucas repeated, “Did you know?”
Michael tapped the papers.
“This wasn’t Lucas working alone.”
Willow watched Richard.
Then remembered something.
Amanda.
“Call Amanda.”
Every head turned.
Lucas went white.
“No.”
Willow noticed.
“Why not?”
“She has nothing to do with this.”
“Her name is connected to the company.”
“It’s coincidence.”
Willow took out her phone.
Lucas stood.
“Do not call her.”
“Interesting.”
“Willow.”
“Why are you scared of your ex-wife?”
Richard snapped, “Sit down, Lucas.”
Lucas ignored him.
“Give me the phone.”
Michael rose slowly.
Lucas stopped.
Willow searched Amanda’s name.
Helena had once found her social media page years earlier.
Nothing recent.
But Michael’s attorneys had already located a number.
Willow pressed call.
Lucas whispered, “Don’t.”
The line rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A woman answered.
“Hello?”
Willow swallowed.
“Amanda?”
Silence.
“Yes.”
“My name is Willow Sterling.”
Another silence.
Then Amanda whispered, “Lucas’s wife.”
“Not for much longer.”
Amanda exhaled.
“I saw the video.”
Willow looked directly at Lucas.
“I’m sorry,” Amanda said.
“Did he hit you too?”
Lucas’s face changed.
Amanda didn’t answer.
That was enough.
Willow whispered, “Amanda?”
“Yes.”
The room went dead silent.
Amanda continued.
“Not often. Twice.”
Lucas shouted, “She’s lying.”
Amanda heard him.
Her voice changed.
“He’s there?”
Willow said, “Yes.”
“Put me on speaker.”
Willow did.
Amanda spoke clearly.
“Hello, Lucas.”
He stared at the phone.
“Amanda.”
“Still pretending you’re the victim?”
Richard closed his eyes.
Amanda said, “Willow, whatever they tell you, do not sign a confidentiality agreement.”
Willow’s skin prickled.
“Why?”
“Because that’s what I did.”
Michael leaned forward.
“What happened?”
Amanda said, “Richard offered me ten million dollars to disappear after I discovered where company money was going.”
Richard exploded.
“That is a lie.”
Amanda laughed.
“I still have the agreement.”
Ellen looked sharply at Richard.
Amanda continued.
“And I have the records I copied before I left.”
Michael asked, “Records of what?”
Amanda paused.
Then answered.
“Sterling family money wasn’t being stolen from the company.”
Everyone waited.
“It was being used to hide losses.”
Richard’s face turned gray.
Michael said, “Explain.”
Amanda did.
“Richard made a series of catastrophic leveraged investments. Private debt. Commercial real estate. Foreign funds.”
Ellen whispered, “How much?”
“Almost four hundred million.”
A board member swore.
Amanda continued.
“When markets moved against him, he started using company funds to cover margin calls.”
Lucas looked at Richard.
“You said those investments recovered.”
Richard whispered, “They were going to.”
Amanda said, “Lucas helped him hide the transfers.”
Lucas shouted, “You have no proof.”
Amanda laughed again.
“I have every email you sent me asking how much I wanted to stay quiet.”
No one spoke.
Willow looked at Lucas.
For the first time, she didn’t see power.
She saw panic.
Michael asked one final question.
“Amanda, will you provide the records?”
“Yes.”
Richard stood.
“You’ll destroy thousands of jobs.”
Amanda’s voice went cold.
“No, Richard.”
“You will.”
“You destroyed them when you gambled with money that wasn’t yours.”
Willow stared at Richard.
He had spent five years calling her father beneath him.
And the Sterling empire was apparently being kept alive with stolen time.
Michael closed the folder.
“Meeting adjourned.”
Lucas laughed bitterly.
“You don’t have that authority.”
Ellen spoke.
“Actually, under the oversight clause activated last night, he temporarily does.”
Lucas turned toward Michael.
“You planned this.”
Michael shook his head.
“No.”
Then he looked at Willow.
May you like
“You gave me the reason to stop protecting you from yourselves.”
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