Chapter 12 - The Midnight Strategy
Eleanor flipped through the handwritten pages of Julian's journal with practiced efficiency, her reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose. Frank leaned against the doorframe, cleaning the grease from his hands with a rag, while Elena sat on the rug beside Leo’s basket, her hand resting over the child’s rhythmic breathing.
""This Cayman account,"" Eleanor said, pointing a beringed finger at a line of handwritten numbers. ""It’s not just pension reserves. This is the payoff fund for the maritime insurance fraud from eight years ago. The freighter that sank off the coast of Halifax.""
Julian frowned. ""The Northern Star? That was ruled an act of god.""
""Arthur scuttled it for forty million in Lloyds coverage to pay off his election campaign debts,"" Eleanor said matter-of-factly. ""He had the manifests forged. The captain who signed off on it has been living under an alias in Portugal, funded entirely by this account.""
Elena leaned forward. ""If that’s true, Arthur isn't just facing civil suits from the board. He's facing federal charges for maritime piracy and insurance fraud.""
""Exactly,"" Eleanor agreed, snapping the book shut. ""Which means he has nothing left to lose. Tomorrow at nine in the morning, Arthur will chair the emergency board meeting at the Vance Tower. He intends to present Julian's psychiatric commitment papers and declare Leo as the principal beneficiary under Arthur's sole guardianship.""
""He'll have the building locked down,"" Julian said, pacing the room. ""The police will have warrants out for my arrest after the incident on the bridge.""
""The police have warrants for Julian Vance,"" Eleanor remarked, tapping her teacup with a silver spoon. ""They don't have warrants for the majority shareholder of Vance International Maritime.""
Julian stopped paced and stared at his mother. ""You never signed the divorce settlement.""
""I didn't,"" Eleanor replied, her eyes glittering with cold malice. ""Arthur spent eight years forging my proxy votes. Tomorrow, I am attending that meeting in person to introduce the new majority voting bloc: my grandson, Leo Vance, represented by his legal, court-recognized parents.""
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""He will stop at nothing to prevent us from walking into that room,"" Elena said, remembering Graves’ cold eyes on the bridge.
""Which is why you won't walk in,"" Eleanor said, looking at Elena. ""You will be brought in as Arthur’s captive.""
