Chapter 2
I pulled my phone out from under the pillow on the side of the sofa.
The screen showed the recording had been running for 47 minutes.
I hit stop.
Gavin saw it.
His expression turned cold.
"You recorded that?" he asked.
"I'm getting old, not as sharp as I used to be," I said, flipping my phone face down on the coffee table. "Gotta keep a record of the important stuff."
Gavin stood up.
The chair legs scraped against the floor with a screech.
"Daisy, don't embarrass yourself," he said.
He walked to the door and then paused.
Gavin said, "Make sure you look presentable on Friday. Cora will handle the seating arrangements. Cooperate with her."
The door closed.
The living room fell silent.
I snapped a photo of the letter of intent and sent it to Holly Mackey.
Holly was my lawyer and also my college classmate.
Even though I'd been hands-off all these years, there were some things I never let go of.
Holly called me two minutes later.
"Daisy, don't sign it. This transfer price is insane. The company's worth 700 million dollars, and your 38% stake is worth at least 200 million dollars. He's offering ten million dollars. Does he think you've lost your mind?" she said.
I leaned back on the sofa. "I know."
"Do you still have the original founding agreement?"
I glanced at the study.
The door was always kept shut. Inside was an old metal filing cabinet, its key sewn into the pocket of one of my old nightgowns.
"Yeah," I replied.
"What about the proxy voting forms from all these years?" Holly asked.
"I've got them all."
"Do the proxy forms have a revocation clause?"
I got up and walked into the study.
I pulled open the bottom drawer of the metal cabinet.
Inside, a row of brown envelopes was neatly stacked, organized by year. The oldest one had a blue notary seal from eighteen years ago across the flap.
I ran my fingers over the yellowed paper seal.
"Yeah, every single one of them has it," I said.
There was a two-second silence on the other end.
Holly lowered her voice. "Then they're not buying your shares.
"They're counting on you not bothering to open that cabinet."
The city lights glowed outside the window.
Gavin had guessed wrong.
Being too lazy to argue didn't mean I was too lazy to keep records.
People could choose to ignore how badly their marriage had fallen apart.
Yet they must never allow others to strip away every last foundation that kept them grounded.
I put the oldest brown envelope into my purse.
Then I sent a message to a number: [Callie, I'll come by at nine tomorrow morning to get the sealed files.]
Less than a minute after I sent the message, my phone lit up again.
Cora texted me a seating chart for the banquet hall.
My name was all the way at the end of the third row.
Her name card and Gavin's sat side by side in the center of the head table.
She also added a message: [Daisy, don't be late. It's a big day for the company.]
I stared at the seating chart.
My lips didn't even twitch.
The farther they shoved me to the sidelines, the bigger the splash would be when I turned the tables.