Fidelity (Infidelity #5)(57)
Then again, was he the only one I wanted to pay?
Charli had argued that her devil was more evil than mine. Perhaps she’d been partially right—if Oren were my only devil, but he wasn’t. Mine was an entire family. Maybe it was time for the showdown.
A DAY LATER, I was pacing the living room of the hotel suite. Outside the open draperies and stories below, Savannah bustled. Even though it was November, the tourists continued to walk the cobblestone streets and browse the shops. As a child I’d never understood the fascination. Now after traveling and living elsewhere, I did. Compared to New York, the Georgia air was balmy and the historical heritage that I’d taken for granted gave visitors days of sightseeing opportunities.
There were even Christmas decorations beginning to line the streets and sparkle in windows.
The new phone in my hand vibrated with the text I’d been waiting for.
Deloris: “TWO O’CLOCK AT THE SAVANNAH-CHATHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT. YOU’RE MEETING WITH DETECTIVE PAMELA MEANS. DARYL OWEN WILL ACCOMPANY YOU AND CHELSEA.”
I exhaled. I’d prefer Nox by my side, but legal counsel would be best. Other than having Mr. Owen beside me, I planned to appear the na?ve heiress until the time was right to show my hand.
Deloris and Nox spent hours on the Batplane and again in the hotel suite last night explaining my grandfather’s will. I needed to learn to accept their information instead of question it, yet at times like this it was difficult. It took me time to wrap my mind around the idea that Nox, Oren, and Deloris had secured a document that I’d never seen and my mother hadn’t seen until recently.
Granted, the implications of the document were far-reaching, going way beyond my marriage and inheritance. There were pages, articles, and sections devoted to Montague Corporation, the structure and divisions. I wasn’t the na?ve girl Alton made me out to be, but quite honestly, it was beyond my understanding. My undergraduate degree in political science and business gave me some foundation, but what my grandfather had engineered was not a typical business structure.
As a family-owned-and-operated company, there was a provision that allowed the subsidiaries to be publicly traded. That was a substantial portion of the corporation. As publicly traded commodities under the Montague umbrella, news of Bryce’s arrest in connection with our marriage would most certainly affect the value of the stock. Nox and Oren had people watching the numbers.
I’d never expected to care about Montague Corporation, but knowing now that my mother had the right to the company, I did. Unfortunately, the arrest of Edward Carmichael Spencer was the headline on many cable financial networks as well as publications questioning his connection to Montague Corporation. Even the Montague machine couldn’t keep the news hidden. After all, a body had been found.
The bit of news we didn’t see on either TV or the Internet was talk of my marriage. They discussed the engagement party on the night of Bryce’s arrest but that was the extent of it. Nox, however, had seen the license. Even the police had referred to me as Mrs. Spencer, but sometime since Saturday night, that information seemed to disappear. No doubt it would be considered less significant than Bryce’s arrest and the discovery of Melissa’s body. There was even one broadcast that showed protesters outside the gates of Carmichael Hall.
Perhaps Deloris had been right and we wouldn’t need to fight the marriage.
It was the infrastructure and the governing board of directors of Montague Corporation that interested Deloris and Nox. I’d been surprised to learn that the board was elected. That was until they explained that the structure currently in place only allowed the shareholders to vote upon and elect the board.
Montague Corporation had few shareholders. Nearly ninety-percent of the stock was owned by my mother and me. All of our shares were managed by Alton. While on his own he had no rights, he held the legal power of attorney as Momma’s husband and my fiduciary guardian. With that power, he’d elected the board of directors. That board of directors had named him CEO.
Quid pro quo at its finest.
If my marriage to Bryce never occurred or was annulled, without the codicil Montague Corporation and all Montague assets would revert to Fitzgerald Investments—Alton would be financially set. With the codicil, Montague assets would revert to the rightful heirs, Momma and me. However, the corporation was different. With the codicil in effect, the board of directors would be dissolved and Montague Corporation would become a publicly traded entity.
According to Nox, the news of Bryce’s arrest, in conjunction with our engagement party and being named heir apparent of Montague Corporation, could most likely produce one of two possible outcomes. First, when the stock became public, Mother and I could purchase the shares at a seemingly reduced price and maintain control. As the primary stockholders, we would receive the right to any remaining assets after liquidation. In essence, we would buy Montague Corporation from ourselves and reap the profit as well as the loss.
In the second scenario, we could lose control of the corporation to investors ready to pounce on a wounded but historically profitable entity. Theoretically, anyone, including Alton, could purchase the controlling interest.
Both Nox and Deloris wanted me to understand my grandfather’s will in its entirety before meeting with Ralph. They were convinced that Alton would try to manipulate things to his advantage. We just had no idea how far he’d go.