My Family Sold Me For $7 Million. I Owned Their Building Chapter 03
At ten the next morning, I waited outside the Manhattan Marriage Bureau.
A black Maybach pulled up to the curb.
Two bodyguards got out first. Then a heavyset man nearing sixty climbed from the back seat.
Victor was two years older than my father.
Chloe had come with him. She slipped her arm through his and smiled.
“Avery can be stubborn, Victor. Once she’s your wife, you’ll have to teach her how to behave.”
Victor looked me up and down. Then he reached for my waist.
“Do what you’re told after we get married and I’ll make sure you’re comfortable. First, throw away that ugly sack.”
I stepped out of reach.
His expression darkened.
Chloe took a folder from one of the bodyguards and tossed it at my feet.
“Drop the innocent act. Sign the prenup so we can get this over with.”
“Has the seven million reached Monroe Holdings?” I asked.
“Sign the papers and get the license. Then the money gets wired.”
I nudged the folder away with my shoe.
“I’m not signing a document no one gave me time to review.”
The two bodyguards moved behind me and blocked the sidewalk.
Victor gave a cold laugh.
“Your father already delivered the collateral agreement for the South Harbor parcel. Back out now, and the Monroe company will be insolvent by this afternoon.”
I almost smiled.
My grandfather had placed that land in a trust for my sole benefit. The recorded owner was an entity I controlled.
Richard apparently believed it belonged to Diane. He had been reckless enough to pledge property he did not own.
“What’s in the agreement?”
Chloe looked delighted.
“You waive every claim against Victor, and you agree to serve as chief executive and authorized signatory for two Warren Group subsidiaries. Victor thinks so highly of you that he’s giving you companies to run on your first day.”
Daniel had sent me those companies’ financial statements that morning. Both were involved in massive tax fraud and illegal fundraising.
They wanted a disposable figurehead.
“I don’t understand legal documents,” I said, lifting my sack. “I won’t sign the agreement, but I’ll get the marriage license.”
Victor’s face hardened.
“Are you playing games with me?”
“You want the collateral. The Monroes want seven million. Everyone gets what they came for. If you insist on making me the fall person for your companies, the wedding is off.”
I turned to leave. One bodyguard reached for me.
I drove my heel into the side of his knee, then swung the sack into the other man’s chest.
The zipper split. The corners of several burgundy closing binders appeared, but no one noticed.
Victor stumbled backward.
“You dare put your hands on my men?”
Chloe shrieked.
“Dad will destroy you for insulting Victor.”
“Tell him to come try.”
I picked up my sack.
“No wire, no collateral. Victor, decide which matters more.”
A Rolls-Royce Phantom with matching custom plates stopped behind the Maybach.
The rear window lowered, revealing the severe profile of Adrian Hawthorne.
He controlled Hawthorne Global. He was also my largest tenant. His company leased all three of my premier office towers in Midtown.
Victor changed his expression at once and hurried to the car with a broad smile.
“Adrian, what a coincidence.”
Adrian did not acknowledge him. He glanced at my sack through the side mirror and tapped one finger against his knee.
His chief of staff, Ethan Cole, got out.
“Mr. Warren, the South Harbor development must undergo a new review. Hawthorne Global will not release any funding until that review is complete.”
“But we settled the terms yesterday. You said once the Monroe collateral arrived…”
The window rose before Victor could finish. The Phantom pulled away.
Victor’s face drained of color.
Chloe grabbed his arm.
“What about the seven million?”
“Get off me.”
He flung her aside and glared at me.
“You win today, Avery. There will be no wedding. Tell Richard I want that collateral agreement in my office tomorrow. If I don’t get it, he gets nothing.”
He climbed into the Maybach with his bodyguards and sped away.
Chloe stared at me with naked hatred.
“Happy now? The financing is dead. If Monroe Holdings collapses, it will be your fault.”
I brushed dust from the sack.
“Monroe Holdings was always going to collapse.”