Chapter 7 - The Man Who Tried to Run
Mason never boarded the plane.
Corporate counsel had already issued preservation notices, and authorities had been contacted regarding potentially relevant records.
His attempt to disappear only deepened suspicion.
Gavin spent the night with lawyers.
For the first time in his career, he was not the most powerful person in the room.
Questions came relentlessly.
What did he know?
What had Mason told him?
Why had he signed certain documents?
Why did internal figures differ from representations made during investment negotiations?
Gavin answered what he could.
Sometimes the answer was humiliating.
“I trusted my CFO.”
One attorney replied, “Trust doesn't remove your signature.”
Across town, Sabrina faced her own questions.
She gave statements.
Provided recordings.
Documented the coercion surrounding the divorce.
She refused interviews.
When reporters gathered outside Crestview Tower, she used a private entrance.
She did not want fame.
She wanted her life back.
Then Claire called.
“We found something concerning.”
“What?”
“The forty-million-dollar debt threat.”
Sabrina sat down.
“Mason exaggerated parts of it. But there were real attempts to shift liabilities.”
“Can they stick me with them?”
“Not the way Mason claimed. But we'll need court intervention.”
Sabrina closed her eyes.
Another battle.
Claire continued.
“There's more.”
“What?”
“Gavin wants to negotiate.”
“No.”
“You haven't heard the offer.”
“I don't care.”
“He's offering the house, cash, and a substantial settlement.”
Sabrina looked around the modest apartment she had rented.
Three weeks earlier, losing the mansion would have terrified her.
Now the thought of returning made her feel sick.
“Tell him I want a lawful division. Nothing purchased with silence.”
Claire smiled slightly.
“I thought you'd say that.”
That night, Sabrina visited her father.
David was cooking pasta.
It was something he did whenever he wanted to pretend he was not a billionaire.
“You look tired,” he said.
“I am.”
“Regrets?”
Sabrina considered it.
“I regret staying after I knew about Charlotte.”
“Why did you?”
“Because I kept remembering who Gavin used to be.”
David nodded.
“Sometimes memory can make a prison feel like a home.”
Sabrina looked at him.
“That's annoyingly wise.”
“I've been saving it.”
She laughed.
It surprised her.
She had forgotten what laughter felt like.
Then David became serious.
“Crestview may still invest.”
Sabrina stared at him.
“What?”
“If SwiftFreight survives the review, replaces leadership where necessary, corrects its reporting, and meets our conditions.”
“You'd still consider it?”
“Business decisions aren't punishments.”
Sabrina smiled faintly.
“Good.”
David studied her.
“You really don't want him destroyed.”
“No.”
“After everything?”
Sabrina looked through the kitchen window.
“I want consequences. There's a difference.”
The next morning, Gavin received notice of a special board meeting.
One agenda item stood above the others.
May you like
Leadership restructuring.
For the first time since founding SwiftFreight, Gavin Pierce realized the company might continue without him.
