Chapter 5 - The Collapse of Cole
"Collect what?" Adrian laughed nervously, though his hands were trembling as he gripped the edge of the mahogany table. "You signed a waiver! You walked away with nothing!"
"I signed a piece of paper you handed me in your study," I replied smoothly, stopping ten feet from the head of the table. "A paper you didn't even bother to read closely enough to realize who holds the master debt covenants of this entire enterprise."
Before Adrian could answer, the heavy boardroom doors swung open again, and Marcus Vance strode into the room accompanied by two federal corporate marshals carrying heavy encrypted briefcases.
Malcolm Vale—the chairman of Vale Capital and Vanessa’s powerful father—stood up from the side of the table, his face flushed with sudden, aggressive anger.
"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Malcolm demanded, pointing a finger at Marcus. "I am Malcolm Vale! My firm is injecting three point two billion dollars into this company as we speak! Who authorized federal marshals in a private corporate acquisition?"
Marcus didn't flinch. He walked directly to the head of the boardroom table, pulled a thick, gold-embossed portfolio from his briefcase, and placed it squarely in front of Malcolm Vale.
"Mr. Vale," Marcus said calmly. "You might want to check the origin of the escrow funds your firm transferred into Cole Industries yesterday."
Malcolm frowned, flipping open the portfolio. He scanned the first page, then the second. Slowly, all the arrogant color drained from his face, leaving his skin a sickly, ashen gray.
"This... this is impossible," Malcolm whispered, his hands beginning to shake violently. "The primary lender behind this bridge loan... the entity holding the senior debt on Cole Industries... it’s... it's Hart Global."
Vanessa leaned forward, her expression twisting into utter confusion. "Dad, what are you talking about? Who is Hart Global? What does that have to do with us?"
Malcolm looked up slowly from the papers, staring at me as if he were looking at a ghost.
"Hart Global isn't just a lender, Vanessa," Malcolm muttered, his voice trembling with horror. "They are the majority stakeholder of your entire corporate portfolio. They own us."
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I offered them a thin, cold smile, stepping right up to the head of the table and placing my palms flat on the wood, looking directly into Adrian’s terrified, wide eyes.
"Good morning, Adrian," I whispered softly. "Welcome to your foreclosure."
