Chapter 9 - When the World Learned He Could See
The story broke at 11:04 a.m.
By 11:07, it was on social media.
By 11:15, business networks were running the photograph.
By noon, the words BLIND BILLIONAIRE FRAUD were everywhere.
Thea stood beside her mother's hospital bed watching a television anchor ask whether Lachlan had deceived investors, regulators, employees and the public.
Marianne stared.
Then looked at her daughter.
“Well.”
Thea closed her eyes.
“Please don't.”
“I was going to say your first week of marriage seems busy.”
“Mom.”
Marianne smiled weakly.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Since the wedding night.”
“And you didn't tell me.”
“I had other concerns.”
“I was unconscious for part of yesterday. You had time.”
Thea laughed despite herself.
“Are you angry?”
“At him?”
“Yes.”
“I'm too medicated to decide.”
Fair.
The television showed Lachlan entering Voss Meridian.
Dark glasses gone.
No cane.
Reporters shouted.
He stopped at the entrance.
Thea held her breath.
Lachlan faced the cameras.
“For nearly two years, I concealed the recovery of my sight.”
Chaos.
Questions exploded.
He raised one hand.
“I did so because my sister's death was connected to an ongoing criminal investigation and because I had credible reason to believe my recovery placed other members of my family in danger.”
More shouting.
“I will cooperate with regulators and law enforcement.”
A reporter called, “Did your board know?”
“No.”
“Did your wife know?”
Lachlan paused.
Thea stiffened.
“My wife learned after our wedding.”
That would create another scandal.
But it was true.
He continued.
“She had no role in the deception.”
Thea understood what he was doing.
Protecting her publicly.
Taking everything onto himself.
“Are you resigning?”
Lachlan looked toward the building.
“No.”
Then he walked inside.
Marianne glanced at Thea.
“He's either brave or very stupid.”
“Both.”
“That can be an attractive combination.”
“Mom.”
“I am recovering. Let me entertain myself.”
Thea's phone rang.
Julian.
She almost ignored it.
Then answered.
“What?”
“Charming.”
“What do you want?”
“To help your husband.”
“Why?”
“Because whatever you think of me, a public collapse of Voss Meridian benefits none of us.”
“You want his job.”
“I want a functioning company.”
“Same thing?”
“Sometimes.”
“Where are you?”
“Boardroom.”
“And Graham?”
“Not here.”
Thea looked at the television.
“Why call me?”
“Because Lachlan won't listen.”
“That sounds like a Lachlan problem.”
“Thea.”
Julian's voice changed.
“The board has enough votes to suspend him.”
Her stomach dropped.
“For pretending to be blind?”
“For potentially misleading shareholders regarding his capacity, medical status and risk exposure.”
“He grew the company while supposedly blind.”
“Facts become flexible when billions of dollars are frightened.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Convince him to step aside temporarily.”
“No.”
“You didn't even consider it.”
“I've known you two days and already understand that handing you his chair would be exactly what Vale wants.”
Silence.
Then Julian said quietly, “You are much more dangerous than Astrid expected.”
“Goodbye.”
She ended the call.
Marianne watched.
“Who was that?”
“Family.”
“Already?”
“Apparently.”
The emergency board meeting began at two.
Thea watched remotely from a secure conference room inside the hospital.
Lachlan stood before fourteen directors.
No glasses.
No cane.
For the first time, they faced the real man.
Some looked betrayed.
Others fascinated.
Vale appeared by video.
Thea leaned forward.
“Coward.”
Vale smiled calmly from an unknown location.
“Lachlan.”
“Graham.”
“It seems we both kept secrets.”
“Mine didn't kill anyone.”
Vale's smile disappeared.
Several board members reacted.
“What does that mean?” Patricia Wren asked.
Lachlan looked around.
“My sister discovered fraudulent transfers connected to Voss Meridian.”
Vale interrupted.
“That accusation is defamatory.”
“Then come to the building and sue me.”
Julian nearly smiled.
Vale ignored him.
“Your judgment is clearly impaired.”
“You tried to manipulate the medical implant intended to restore my vision.”
Now chaos.
Vale's face changed.
Only for a second.
Thea saw it.
So did everybody.
“You're delusional.”
“Dr. Adrian Shaw is alive.”
That landed.
Vale stopped.
There.
Fear.
Lachlan saw it too.
“Federal investigators interviewed him this morning.”
Vale's video suddenly froze.
Then disconnected.
Thea stood.
“He ran.”
Marcus's voice came through the secure audio.
“Teams are tracing him.”
The board refused to vote on suspension until investigators reviewed the evidence.
Temporary victory.
Not enough.
At four, Lachlan returned to the hospital.
He looked exhausted.
Thea met him in the corridor.
“You did well.”
“I may be removed tomorrow.”
“Still did well.”
He sat.
Thea sat beside him.
“You protected me.”
“At the press conference?”
“Yes.”
“You weren't responsible.”
“That has never stopped headlines.”
“No.”
She studied him.
“Are you afraid?”
“Of losing the company?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
She didn't believe him.
“What are you afraid of?”
His eyes moved toward Marianne's room.
“You.”
Thea's heartbeat stumbled.
“What about me?”
“That you will decide this isn't worth it.”
“This?”
He gestured vaguely.
“My family. The danger. Me.”
The honesty disarmed her.
“You told me I could leave.”
“I meant it.”
“But you don't want me to.”
“No.”
Thea looked down at her hands.
The ring glinted.
“You barely know me.”
“I know you argue with authority.”
“True.”
“You give away money you don't have.”
“Occasionally.”
“You protect children before yourself.”
Her throat tightened.
“You insult me almost hourly.”
“You usually deserve it.”
“And you stayed.”
“That doesn't mean—”
“I know.”
He didn't push.
That mattered.
Thea whispered, “I haven't decided anything.”
“All right.”
“But I am still here.”
“Yes.”
Their eyes met.
The noise of the hospital seemed to move farther away.
Lachlan leaned slightly closer.
Thea knew what was about to happen.
So did he.
Then Sophie's voice shouted from down the corridor.
“Aunt Thea!”
They moved apart so quickly that Thea nearly laughed.
Sophie ran toward them carrying her stuffed rabbit.
Behind her came Emil.
And behind Emil—
A woman.
Thea didn't recognize her.
Lachlan did.
He stood so quickly his chair slid backward.
“No.”
The woman stopped.
She was perhaps thirty-five.
Dark hair.
Thin.
Fearful.
“Sophie,” Lachlan said sharply. “Come here.”
The child stopped.
The woman began to cry.
“I didn't come to hurt her.”
“Security!”
Marcus appeared.
The woman raised both hands.
“My name is Caroline Mercer.”
Lachlan froze.
Mercer.
Sophie's father's surname.
Thea looked at him.
“Who is she?”
The woman swallowed.
“Daniel Mercer was my brother.”
Sophie stared.
“My daddy?”
Caroline nodded.
“I am your aunt.”
Lachlan stepped between them.
“What do you want?”
“To tell you Daniel didn't overdose.”
Silence.
Caroline reached slowly into her bag.
Security moved.
“Easy,” she whispered.
She removed an envelope.
“Daniel knew about the money.”
She held it toward Lachlan.
“He tried to warn Elena.”
Lachlan didn't take it.
Thea did.
Inside was a letter.
Written by Daniel Mercer six days before his death.
The final line made Thea's blood run cold.
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME, DON'T TRUST GRAHAM VALE—AND DON'T TRUST JULIAN VOSS.
Thea looked up.
Julian had spent the afternoon claiming he wanted to save the company.
Now a dead man was accusing him from the grave.
May you like
And tomorrow morning, Julian Voss would control the deciding vote over whether Lachlan kept his company.
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