Chapter 9
I bent down, gently moved the towel away, and pressed a fresh one to his forehead. When my fingers brushed the side of Frank's cheek, it was still burning hot.
At last, Frank's breathing settled into a steady rhythm.
He was worn out from crying, drifting off to sleep, but his little brows stayed tightly knit.
No five-year-old should look so troubled.
The timer ticked from 00:12 to 00:11, and then to 00:10.
I stood up and walked over to the window.
Outside, the sky was pitch black, but the lights of the Full Health Building still blazed in the distance, like a towering pillar of light piercing the darkness.
Five seconds.
Four seconds.
Three seconds.
Two seconds.
The last one second.
Time was up.
The timer stopped.
Five minutes had passed.
Kelly didn't show up. Leonard didn't show up. No one came.
I stood by the window, clutching my phone, staring at the timer that had hit zero.
I glanced back at Frank on the couch. He was fast asleep, still clutching the towel.
I dialed a number.
After one ring, the person picked up.
"Lawrence," I said.
"Ms. Clarke," Lawrence replied.
His voice was steady, but there was a hint of surprise in it.
"Is there something you need this late?" Lawrence asked, his voice steady but tinged with surprise.
"Yeah," I replied. "Do you still have the shareholding trust agreement my dad gave you back then?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
It was three painfully long seconds.
I could hear Lawrence's breath catch.
"Yes, it's still here. I've kept it safe all these years," he said.
"I'm going to activate it," I said.
Another long silence fell.
"Ms. Clarke, are you sure? Once you set this in motion..." Lawrence asked, his voice tense.
"I'm sure," I cut him off.
"Tomorrow morning at nine, bring all the documents to the conference room on the 32nd floor of Full Health Pharmaceuticals," I said.
"Alright," Lawrence replied.
Lawrence's voice grew more serious. "See you tomorrow."
I hung up.
The phone screen went dark. The living room was quiet, leaving a soft glow from the lights and Frank's gentle breathing.
I turned and walked back to the couch, tucking the blanket around him.
He stirred in his sleep, mumbling, "Mom."
"I'm here." I crouched down, my voice barely above a whisper. "Go to sleep. I will take care of everything tomorrow."
The next day, the conference room on the 32nd floor of Full Health Pharmaceuticals was where everything changed.
Leonard thought the CEO position was his.
But what he didn't know was that the ground beneath his feet, the whole building, every brick from the very start, belonged to me.
Before my dad passed away, he put 51% of Full Health Pharmaceuticals' shares into a trust, naming only one beneficiary.
It was not Leonard, but me.
I'd kept that trust stashed away for five years.
I never thought I'd have to pull it out.
I used to think Leonard at least had some decency.
Well, that was so much for that.
If he was not even decent, I didn't need to play nice anymore.
Frank rolled over, and the blanket slipped down a little.
I bent down and pulled the blanket back up for him.
Then I stood up, headed into the study, and opened the safe.
At the very bottom, there was a brown envelope, bearing my dad's personal stamp.
I took it out and placed it on the desk.
On the envelope, in my dad's handwriting, were three words. [For Beatrice only.]
I stared at it for a few seconds.
Then I opened the envelope and pulled out the documents inside.
The first page bore the official red seal: the Full Health Pharmaceuticals Equity Trust Agreement.
The second page was a notarized certificate from the law firm.
The third page held the beneficiary details.
In the beneficiary section, my name, Beatrice Clarke, was there, clear as day.
I held 51% of shares.
I straightened the documents, slipped them back into the envelope, and tucked it into my briefcase.
I closed and locked the safe.
Only the desk lamp was on, casting a pool of light on the desk and outlining the briefcase.
My phone buzzed.
It was a message from Freya. [Both of Full Health Pharmaceuticals' funds are frozen. Lawrence is on board. He'll be there at 8:30.
[I also pulled the registration for K&L Culture. The official rep is Kelly's cousin, Leila Jackson, but Kelly's the one running the show.
[I checked the accounts. Over the past three years, she's moved 16 million dollars out of Full Health. Beatrice, this woman is greedy as hell.]
That was 16 million dollars, seven million dollars.
That was way more than what I uncovered.
Leonard had been using Full Health Pharmaceuticals' money to feed a backstabber, fattening her up, and then let her go after Frank.
I replied with two words. [Got it.]
Then I set my phone down and leaned back in my chair.
The next day at nine, in the conference room, I was going to make Leonard see with his own eyes who gave him the CEO title he was so proud of.
And I'd make sure Kelly paid for that slap, plus a whole lot more.
Everyone thought I put up with it for five years because I was soft.
No, that wasn't the case.
I put up with it for five years because it wasn't worth making a move.
And it was time now.
The slap in my son's face was the price.