Chapter 6 - THE ANONYMOUS BENEFACTOR|
By noon, Imara was seated in a secure private suite at the Fairmont Royal York—ironically, the very hotel where the assault had taken place twelve hours earlier. Roa had booked the room under an offshore corporate name to keep the press away.
A soft knock came at the door.
Roa stepped out into the hallway, talked quietly to a man in a charcoal suit, and returned holding a sleek black leather briefcase.
"Who was that?" Imara asked, sitting beside Cassian as he drew pictures with crayons.
"A messenger from Vanguard Infrastructure Capital," Roa said, setting the briefcase on the table.
Imara frowned. "Vanguard? That's the primary global investment firm funding the waterfront development project. They hold fifty-one percent of the municipal bonds for Threshold Commons."
"Their senior managing partner wants to meet you," Roa said, popping open the brass latches of the briefcase.
Inside lay a single document bound in dark blue leather: A formal invitation for an emergency review board meeting, accompanied by a cashier’s check made out to Coulson Architectural Design Studio for two hundred thousand dollars.
Attached was a short handwritten note:
Mrs. Coulson Hail,
We invested in the design, not the thief. Bring your 2021 Montreal blueprints to our board room tomorrow at 9:00 AM. Let us see who truly built Threshold Commons.
— Julian Vance, Managing Director.
Imara touched the rough edge of the paper, her heart pounding against her ribs.
May you like
"Julian Vance," Imara whispered. "He was Beck's largest rival before the city contract was awarded. If he backs my original designs, Hail Development loses everything."
"Beck built his whole empire on your brain, Imara," Roa said, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "It's time you sent him the invoice."
