Chapter 8: What Genevieve Did Next
Three days later, Genevieve made her move.
I was in a meeting at my company's offices when my assistant knocked and came in without waiting.
She set her phone on the table in front of me, face up, without a word.
It was a financial news site.
The headline read: *Sources close to Harwick Capital founder allege instability ahead of major IPO.*
The article was four paragraphs.
It cited two anonymous sources.
It described a broken engagement, questions about my personal judgment, and what it called "concerns among inner-circle advisors" about my readiness to take the company public.
I read it once.
I set the phone down.
I looked at the four people sitting around the table.
'Give me twenty minutes,' I said.
I called Thomas from my office.
'I've seen it,' he said before I spoke.
'It went up forty minutes ago.
I've already contacted the publication's legal desk.'
'Can we prove she's the source?'
'Not directly.
Not yet.
But the language in the article matches talking points in her emails to Hale almost word for word.
We're documenting it.' A pause.
'This was the contingency plan.
If the documents failed, damage the IPO enough to give her leverage.'
'Leverage for what?'
'A settlement.
She'll make contact soon.
She'll offer to retract, to go quiet, in exchange for money.'
'How much?'
'Enough to hurt.
Enough to feel like it's cheaper than the alternative.' Thomas's voice was steady.
'It isn't.
And she doesn't know what we have yet.'
The call came that evening.
Not from Genevieve directly — from her attorney.
A man I didn't recognize, not Marcus Hale.
Hale had apparently declined to continue representing her once the preservation order landed.
The attorney's offer was precise.
Two million pounds.
In exchange, Genevieve would sign a full non-disclosure agreement, retract her statements to the press through a mutual contact, and return all copies of estate documents.
'She's also prepared,' the attorney added, 'to provide information about Marcus Hale's conduct that may be of interest to your legal team.'
'She's offering to give up Hale,' I said to Thomas afterward.
'She's trying to make herself the witness instead of the defendant,' he said.
'It's not a bad play.
If she gets there first, she controls the narrative.'
'Do we let her?'
Thomas was quiet for a moment.
'That depends on what you want.
If you want Hale prosecuted and the fraud fully documented, her cooperation speeds that up significantly.
If you want Genevieve to face consequences directly, we decline and take our chances with what we have.'
I thought about Nora standing in the kitchen with milk in her hair.
I thought about the bruise on Everett's arm.
I thought about Felix's wide, wet eyes.
'I want both,' I said.
'Then we negotiate,' Thomas said.
'But on our terms.
Not hers.'
He called her attorney back the following morning.
The counter-offer was this: no money.
Full cooperation with the fraud investigation.
A signed statement about Hale's role and her own.
In exchange, Thomas would recommend to the relevant authorities that her cooperation be considered in any charging decision.
There was silence on the line for a long moment.
Then her attorney said he would need to consult with his client.
May you like
He called back in two hours.
Genevieve accepted.
