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“I was able to get her to break confidentiality. It wasn’t hard, really. Between the bottle of wine we shared and the fact that she is free of the company, retirement tucked safely away, she had nothing to lose. She confirmed that Reese and Garrett did sell their shares.”

“Hold up,” Jim says, confirming this is the first time he’s heard this. It’s a bomb for sure, but it’s one that was going to go off regardless of who dropped it. Margaret might be the best person for the job. If it came from me, he wouldn’t believe it. If it came from Natalie, it could cause a rift in their relationship. But Margaret is a trusted friend and a knowledgeable member of M.E.’s board. “All of their shares?”

“Yes,” Natalie answers with a hard swallow.

“When did that happen?” Jim demands in a low enough voice that we don’t gain too much attention.

“When Marcus bought in,” Margaret says.

And that is a bomb I was not expecting.

“Wait,” Natalie says. “So…most of the shares Marcus bought were Reese and Garrett’s?” she asks, and we all look at Margaret, who simply nods.

“Between Reese and Garrett’s shares and the smaller blocks sold by independent shareholders, Marcus acquired exactly fifty-one percent and voting control.”

“For the record,” I say, because I really want to make it clear to everyone once and for all. “I was offered the opportunity. It was presented to me.”

“By whom?” Jim asks, and Margaret’s lips tip into a smirk.

“Who do you think?”

“Oh my God. Reese? My own daughter,” Jim says, and it sounds like the wind has been knocked out of him. It doesn’t take long for his shock to shift to anger. “My own daughter and her obedient dog of a husband sold me to Ashford?”

He says that like I’m the devil. Maybe in his eyes, I am. But I know the biggest blow to him right now is the family betrayal. I am nothing more than a pawn in whatever is going on, and that makes my blood boil.

“Why would they do that?” Natalie asks, shaking her head. She looks like she is going to be sick, and it takes everything in me not to put my arm around her. But with everything that’s being unearthed right now, the last thing Jim needs is to find out that while one of his daughters was dismantling his business, his other daughter was deflowered by the new CEO. Still, if she does pass out, all bets are off.

“Money,” Margaret guesses.

“She has always been greedy about her inheritance,” Jim admits.

“But wouldn’t she make more money by keeping the shares?” Natalie asks. “Especially knowing that partnering with Ashford would skyrocket the profits. It would have made more sense to offer all the other available shares in the company at a higher price, and then they’d make money off Ashford and Mission.”

Margaret’s expression hardens. “I checked the public records before coming here. Three of their properties carry second mortgages, and two tax liens were filed last month. The money from the share sale is already spoken for. If the overseas transfers stop, they could be cash-poor within weeks.”

So this is not greed from a comfortable distance. Reese and Garrett are cornered, desperate, and watching the money run out.

We all think about that. There has to be a bigger motive. A bigger scheme. I only have an inkling of what that is, and my gut is telling me that there is a bigger scandal at play here.

“For now, no one says anything,” I tell the group. “Reese and Garrett are to remain in the dark. I’ll get Steve and Terry on the books, and we'll keep digging. We can hire a P.I. and we will dive deeper into who is responsible and where the money is going. We need to all work together, not against each other,” I say. I look directly at Jim and Natalie and say, “We will get to the bottom of this.”

Chapter 31

Natalie

It’s been a week since Jamie’s party, and a week since the conversation with Margaret about Reese’s betrayal to the company.

Am I surprised? Honestly, no. It’s not the first time my sister has done something slimy in an attempt to get what she wants. But I am a little shocked that she would practically dismantle what our father has built just to get ahead.

Again. The details don’t fully add up. Not just yet, anyways. It’s very obvious something more is going on. When we figure out those pieces of the puzzle, the full picture is going to be so blatantly clear that none of us can deny what we are looking at. Even if it does break my father’s heart.

Tonight, though, I don’t have space in my brain to worry about all of that. As much as I can’t stand Steve and Terry, I know they are good at their jobs. They are working night and day to unearth the truth about where the funds are going.

As for me, I have a dinner to attend. The Bayside Pearl Hotel, one of Ashford’s most elite beach resorts, is opening a new on-site restaurant, and everyone is going to be at the grand opening tonight. Marcus will be there; he is the CEO. I’ll be there because I am the event planner. While this didn’t require a lot of planning, there were still details that I needed to tend to. Reese and Garrett will also be there because unfortunately, he does work here still. Dylan because this is her area of expertise, Margaret because she is Margaret, and my dad because it looks good. All of us together, sharing a meal, promoting both business names while joining them together in a location that is bound to be very profitable.

Marcus told me this dinner is for show. The entire point of it is to steady the ship despite the storm on the horizon. We need to appear calm, collected, and oblivious to Reese and Garrett as we situate all the cards on the table.

“That is the perfect dress for this dinner,” Dylan tells me as we arrive in our company SUV.