Chapter 25 - The Ghost of the Past | "He's delusion," I said, dropping the note onto the coffee table in my secure penthouse suite. "He actually believes he can force me to hand the company back."
"He's not delusional, Claire. He's sending an ultimatum," Mara said, pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor. "He knows the buyout will go through in two days. If you're dead or incapacitated, the contract defaults, and his lawyers regain control."
"Where is Richard right now?" I asked, turning to Marcus, who was standing near the secure door.
"The FBI has him pinned in a private estate in upstate New York," Marcus reported. "He’s legally under house arrest pending his financial disclosures, but he’s using old diplomatic channels to communicate with the outside world."
"Then we go to him," I stated flatly.
Mara stopped pacing, staring at me as if I had lost my mind. "You want to go visit the man who just put a hit out on you?"
"He thinks he’s playing chess from a distance," I argued, stepping toward her. "He’s hiding behind fixers, lawyers, and encrypted wires. He expects me to huddle in this penthouse, terrified, waiting for his mercenaries to make a move."
"It's too dangerous, Claire," Mara insisted. "What if Aegis Protocol ambushes you on the road?"
"They won't strike if they think they're getting what they want," I replied, a dark plan taking shape in my mind. "We leak a false document suggesting I'm open to settlement negotiations. I'll demand a face-to-face meeting with Richard at his estate under the guise of an olive branch."
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Marcus narrowed his eyes, approving of the tactic. "A controlled environment. We bring our own security detail and force his hands."
"Exactly," I said. "It's time to stop playing defense."
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