Chapter 7: The Deal
Paige looked smaller than I remembered.
She sat across from me in Conference Room B, a windowless, sterile space I purposely chose over my newly reclaimed office. The fluorescent lights were unforgiving, highlighting the dark circles under her eyes and the tremor in her hands as she clutched a paper cup of water.
Six months ago, Paige had been Nathan’s right hand, the Chief Legal Officer who had weaponized corporate law to strip me of my shares. She had smiled at my engagement party and then meticulously drafted the clauses that would orchestrate my ruin. Now, she was a cooperating witness, having traded her loyalty to Nathan for immunity from prosecution.
"You didn't have to call me in," Paige said, her voice thin. "My lawyer said my obligations to the company were terminated upon the signing of the DOJ agreement."
"Your legal obligations, yes," I replied, my tone perfectly conversational. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the glass table. "But you and I have some unfinished business, Paige. You left a few landmines in the R&D acquisitions."
She flinched. "I had to. Nathan demanded aggressive restructuring. If I hadn't buried the debt in the shell companies, the board would have seen the insolvency."
"I don't care why you did it. I care where they are." I slid a thick, blank legal pad and a pen across the table. "You’re going to write down every account number, every offshore proxy, and every dummy corporation you set up to hide Nathan's embezzlement. You’re going to map it out for my auditors."
Paige stared at the pen as if it were a snake. "If I do this... if Nathan finds out I gave you the blueprint, he has people who can ruin me. Even with my immunity."
"Nathan is facing twenty years in federal prison," Donovan interjected from the corner of the room, his presence previously unacknowledged but heavily felt. "His people are currently scrambling to avoid being indicted themselves. He has no power anymore. But she does." He nodded toward me.
I held Paige's gaze. I didn't offer a reassuring smile. I didn't offer forgiveness. I didn't have any left to give.
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"You took a deal to save yourself from a cell, Paige," I said softly. "But you need a deal with me to save your future in this industry. Write it down. Every last cent. Or I’ll ensure that even if you stay out of prison, you’ll never practice law in any jurisdiction on this earth."
Tears welled in her eyes, but I felt nothing—only a cold, pragmatic satisfaction. Slowly, with a shaking hand, she picked up the pen and began to write. Survival wasn't just about breathing; it was about holding the pen when the ink was blood.
