Chapter 2
After the funeral, Verda wasted no time heading back to the office. She convened a board meeting, taking her seat as my widow.
She declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, even though Pierce is gone, the Richardson Group must stand strong.
"As his wife, it's my duty to carry on his legacy and guide the company through these tough times."
She sounded every bit like a virtuous and selfless wife, as if she truly had the company's best interests at heart.
The board members all nodded in support.
By law, after my death, she was my primary heir.
After the meeting, she immediately sought out the chief financial officer and demanded the transfer of 17 million dollars in cash.
"Mrs. Richardson, this money..." the CFO began.
"It's for an emergency," she interrupted, her tone brooking no argument, "Pierce promised to help a friend with their medical treatment before he passed away."
She could lie without batting an eye now. Her performance was getting better by the day.
The moment the 17 million dollars hit her account, she headed straight to the hospital to find Alexander.
I watched the whole thing play out on the hospital's surveillance cameras.
She hugged him and broke down in tears, saying she'd finally scraped together enough for his treatment.
Alexander, looking frail, gently stroked her hair. "You've been through so much for me, Verda. Once I'm better, we'll get married."
"Okay, I'll wait for you," she replied.
The reunion between them was so heart-wrenching. Alexander's promise was so beautiful.
However, all of it was built on my death.
I turned off the video, a cold smile curling at the corner of my lips.
The game was just getting started.
Verda thought she had everything under control.
The Richardson Group fell right into her hands,
Alexander got the money that would save his life. The only obstacle, which was me, was out of the picture for good.
But what Verda didn't know was that the game I'd set up went way deeper than she could ever guess.
On the surface, the Richardson Group looked like a family business, but I'd set things up long ago.
The real control was in the hands of an offshore trust fund, and the sole beneficiary of that fund was me.
All Verda got was the authority to run the company, but she could never truly call the shots.
What was even more important was that most of the money on the company's books was just a facade. The real cash had already been moved elsewhere.
The 17 million dollars she took was a bait I left for her on purpose.
I wanted to watch her blow through every last cent, then watch as her world fell apart.
On the third day, I sent a text to Rolf. [Time to start Plan B.]
Rolf was my college roommate, and the only person who knew the truth about me.
All these years, I'd been preparing him, so when the moment came, I'd have someone I could truly count on.
Half an hour later, several of the Richardson Group's most important suppliers suddenly cut ties with the company.
The reason was simple. They were worried about the company's future prospects.
Not long after, a few major clients also asked to cancel their contracts.
Verda was in her office, running herself ragged, holding three meetings in a row just to try and turn things around.
But she didn't realize that the reason those suppliers and clients worked with the Richardson Group wasn't the company.
They put their faith in my abilities and reputation.
With me gone, that trust vanished right along with me.
"Mrs. Richardson, the Glory Group project might be getting put on ice," the marketing manager said, looking troubled.
"What? We already signed the contract!" Verda shot back, her voice sharp.
"They said now that Mr. Richardson's gone, they're worried we can't deliver on time," the manager replied.
Verda slammed her hand on the desk. "Then tell them I can handle this project just fine!"
But even as the words left her mouth, she couldn't convince even herself.
This project was worth 70 million dollars. It was the Richardson Group's biggest deal of the year. If it failed, the company's entire cash flow would collapse.
By the time she got home that night, she was utterly exhausted. Just as she was about to rest, her phone rang. It was the hospital.
"Mrs. Richardson, Mr. Blake's condition has alternated..." the doctor said.
Her heart clenched, and she rushed straight to the hospital.
The doctor in charge looked serious. "After running some tests, we found his condition is actually worse than we expected.
"The previous treatment might not be enough. We'll need to switch to some imported drugs, and the cost is going to be..."
"How much?" she asked.
"3 million dollars," the doctor replied.
Verda's face instantly turned pale.
She had just scraped together 17 million dollars to save Alexander, and now they wanted another 3 million.
She wondered where she was supposed to get that much money.
Verda pleaded, "Doctor, can you please start the treatment first? I'll find a way to get the money."
"I'm sorry, but that's against our hospital's policy..." the doctor replied.
Verda gritted her teeth and forced herself back to the office.
She went straight to the CFO, asking if she could pull another 3 million from the company accounts.
The CFO warned, "Mrs. Richardson, we're almost out of liquid funds.
"If anything goes wrong with the Glory Group project, we might not even be able to keep the company afloat."