He simply added the financing to the legend he was building around himself.
Rebecca turned to the next document.
“This is notice that Sterling Capital is suspending all discretionary financing commitments to Croft Holdings pending an emergency review.”
Julian’s eyes flashed.
“You can’t do that.”
“We already did.”
As if on cue, his phone began vibrating on the marble table.
He glanced at the screen.
Then again.
Calls stacked one after another.
His chief financial officer.
A board member.
The bank handling his latest acquisition.
Julian picked up the phone but did not answer.
“You’re destroying my company because of a family argument.”
Rebecca’s expression did not change.
“No.
The review was triggered because the principal of a heavily leveraged company appears to have misrepresented his control of certain assets and attempted to coerce a beneficiary of one of his lenders into signing a legal agreement while threatening her.”
Julian looked toward the post-nuptial agreement on the floor.
For the first time, it seemed to occur to him that objects could become evidence.
He rushed toward the document.
One of the security officers stepped between them.
“Leave it where it is, sir.”
Julian stopped.
Chloe was pale now.
She lowered the hand she had kept on her stomach all evening.
“Julian,” she whispered, “you told me the company was completely independent.”
“It is.”
Rebecca slid another page forward.
“Croft Holdings is independent.
Its dependence on external financing is a separate issue.”
That distinction frightened him more than an insult would have.
Julian knew finance.
He understood exactly what suspended discretionary credit meant for a company carrying too much debt and counting on another acquisition to keep investors optimistic.
His phone rang again.
This time he answered.
“What?”
I could hear a man speaking rapidly on the other end, but not the words.
Julian’s expression hardened.
“No, you do not convene an emergency board meeting without me.”
A pause.
“I am the chief executive.”
Another pause.
His eyes moved to me.
“No.
Victoria has nothing to do with company governance.”
Rebecca quietly tapped one final section of the folder.
Julian followed her finger.
Northstar’s investment included voting rights that had never mattered before because the fund had always supported management.
Tonight, it had requested the emergency meeting.
Julian ended the call without saying goodbye.
Then his anger came back.
It was easier for him than fear.
He pointed at me.
“You planned this.”
“I planned to spend tonight having dinner with my husband and his board.”
