Chapter 2: The Second LLC
Daniel said nothing for a long moment.
Then he reached across the table and closed the notice like it was a minor inconvenience.
"This isn't the place, Claire."
"You made it the place," I said.
"The moment you let her sl*p me in front of your investors."
Madison had stopped smiling.
She was watching Daniel now, waiting for him to fix it.
That told me everything about how their arrangement worked.
One of the senior investors — a man named Gerald Holt who had known the Bennett family for over twenty years — quietly pushed his chair back and stood.
"Daniel, I think we need to pause this evening."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Gerald, this is a private matter."
"A $32 million bridge facility is not a private matter." Gerald folded his napkin and set it on the table.
Two other investors followed.
Madison stepped forward.
"This is exactly what she wanted.
She came here to destroy this deal."
I looked at her calmly.
"I came here as Daniel's wife.
You're the one who started this."
Then my phone lit up on the table.
It was our committee's legal counsel.
I answered on speaker before Daniel could stop me.
"Claire, forensic accounting just flagged a second LLC.
Different name.
Same registered address as Blake Advisory."
The room went very still.
May you like
Daniel's hand moved toward my phone.
"Don't," I said quietly.
