“No,” Julian corrected her smoothly. “Mrs. Prescott is the personal guarantor of the Apex facility. Under Section 14-B of the master credit agreement, the guarantor possesses unilateral audit rights over all operating accounts linked to the company’s general ledger. You didn’t steal from Harrington Logistics, Miss Harrington. Harrington Logistics didn’t have any money. You stole from Mrs. Prescott’s trust.”
Richard’s face went from pale to an alarming shade of purple. He turned on Madison, his breathing heavy and ragged. “Madison… what did you do? Tell me you didn’t touch those accounts.”
“Daddy, she’s lying! She’s twisting things!”
“We have the wire confirmations, Miss Harrington,” Julian said, sliding a second document down the table. “And more importantly, we have the forged signatures. Specifically, the forged signature of Daniel Harrington authorizing each payment without board approval.”
Richard swung around, his fists clenched, staring at his son. “Daniel?! You signed off on this?!”
“I… I didn’t!” Daniel stammered, holding his hands up defensively. “I swear, Dad! Madison came to my office, she had a stack of vendor approvals, she told me it was for the new server migrations! I didn’t read them! I just signed them!”
“You didn’t read them,” I echoed, my voice flat, empty of pity. “Just like you didn’t listen when your sister insulted my mother. Just like you didn’t look up from your plate last night. You never look, Daniel. You just let bad things happen because it’s easier than standing on your own two feet.”
“Claire, please,” Daniel pleaded, dropping to his knees beside the table, completely uncaring that his father’s attorneys and Julian’s associates were watching him disintegrate. “I didn’t know! If Madison stole the money, have her pay it back! Don’t destroy the whole family! I love you! I will do anything. I’ll make Madison apologize to your mother on her knees! I’ll buy your father ten new suits!”
“My father doesn’t want your suits, Daniel,” I said. “He wouldn’t wear anything touched by your hands.”
I stood up and turned to Julian. “Hand them the dissolution terms.”
Julian dropped three thick files onto the center of the table.
“Harrington Logistics has forty-eight hours to cure the default by depositing thirty-five million dollars into the Apex escrow account,” Julian said coldly. “Failing that, we will file an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition in the Southern District of New York. Simultaneously, we will refer the grand larceny evidence regarding Miss Harrington and Mr. Daniel Harrington to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Financial Frauds Bureau.”
“You wouldn’t,” Richard whispered, looking at me like he was seeing a ghost. “You wouldn’t put your own husband in prison.”
I looked Daniel straight in the eye as he knelt on the plush corporate carpet.
“He isn’t my husband anymore,” I said. “He’s just another debtor who defaulted on his loan.”
